Believing it Now
by DarknessGryphon
Summary: Lloyd doesn't really think about himself in a relationship, going as far as to claim he'll never fall in love. But when it comes to him being loveless, the whole world's against him. Yutos, LxZ Officially Discontinued: Updated With late author's note
1. A Strange Incident

Swaaa! It's DarknessGryphon here! Fuuuuuuu... I'm tired and hyper right now... shuu... -.- zzzzzz... :sleeping and hopping around the room simultaneously)

**DISCLAIMER:** I can't really own this game or these characters now, can I? If I did... ZELOS AND YUAN WOULD BE A COUPLE! MWAHAHAHAHAHA:fell on the floor asleep: (uh... I used up too much of my energy...)

**WARNINGS:** This is a _yaoi_ fic (A.K.A. Slash, M/M, whatever you want to call it...), if you don't like it then please don't read it. There are also some spoilers...

**NOTES: **I apologize in advance for any inaccuracies I may have put it here. Also, I don't know how, but somehow Zelos and Kratos are both in this fic and on the same side, post game...

Also, I didn't notice before, (it is corrected now) but I left the 'r,' 'l,' and second 'a' out of Kharlan -.-u how emabarrassing...

_'thoughts' _

"normal speech"

**

* * *

Chapter 1 _A Strange Incident_**

Lloyd's POV-

There's nothing scarier than Kratos, the human seraphim, my real father yelling in all his fury...

"ZELOS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY SON!"

Umm...Maybe we should start earlier...

Normal POV-

"Hello ALL my gorgeous hunnies!" Zelos walked into his dining room with arms spread wide for a hug- only to be hit by no less than sixteen pancakes in the face.

"Damned pervert!" Sheena yelled, hand poised for more pancake throwing.

"Really, Zelos. You wouldn't get such a response if you weren't such a philanderer," Raine scolded coolly while wiping syrup off of her hands.

Genis had a now sticky, syrupy kendama in his hand and was standing like a little lion cub in front of Presea.

"Don't talk to Presea like that!"

Presea turned towards Genis and gave him a normal reminder, "It's alright, Genis. You don't need to protect me. The probability that Zelos was actually serious is about two percent."

"Oh. Right." Genis flushed and sat back down. Colette, as usual, was her usual ditzy self and just giggled in that Colette-ish way. The stack of pancakes fell off of Zelos' face and he gave a look of mock defeat.

"Waa! All of my friends hate me! Save me Lloyd!" he proclaimed and glomped Lloyd who was walking zombie-like through the doorway.

"Morning..." And the swordsman kept walking while dragging the former Tethe'alla's Chosen with him.

"You alright, Lloyd?" Sheena asked, eyes full of concern, before she turned on Zelos.

"You can let go of him now!" Zelos let go quickly and flashed everyone a cheezy grin.

"Yeah, I was just up late thinking about Kratos... he's supposed to visit soon..." Lloyd explained after a time.

"I don't appreciate you losing sleep over me...son." Lloyd looked up quickly and walked over to his father, smiling. The red-haired man pulled his son into a strong embrace.

"Cute." A blue-haired seraphim walked into view.

"Yuan?" Colette smiled.

"What are you guys doing here...together?" Lloyd asked exuberantly while pulling away from his father.

"Well, your dad said he'd visit you and we have something to tell you..." Yuan explained, crossing the threshold.

"It's not something about Derris-Kharlan is it?" Genis asked worriedly.

"No! No...How do I explain th-" Yuan was cut off by Kratos grabbing him and kissing him roughly. Yuan was startled for a moment, but quickly relaxed. Footsteps sounded through the suddenly still house.

Regal stopped abruptly at the doorway.

"Is this a bad time?"

Yuan and Kratos broke apart quickly, Yuan blushing furiously and Kratos running his hand through his hair looking uncomfortable. Everyone was staring at the couple appraisingly, Lloyd with and odd expression, not sure what to make of it. Presea finally broke free of the silence.

"Hello, Regal..."

The President of the Lazareno Company was looking much more like his old self since the end of their journey. His hair was combed neatly and tied back. His clothes were once more of excellent quality. Everything was as he promised Alicia.

"So, Regal!" Raine started loudly," How's rebuilding Ozette going?" While they talked animatedly about Regal's work; Lloyd, Yuan, and Kratos were still in the same position as five minutes before. Suddenly:

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!"

Lloyd was just **a bit** angry, and his outburst caused Yuan to unfreeze and Kratos to turn a bit red. Colette, in one of her short bursts of smart intuition, stood up quickly.

"Sheena, Raine, Presea- how about we take the rheairds down to Altamira and have a girls' day out?" The three of them stood up quickly as well.

"Yes, Colette. That would be an appropriate action..." Presea confirmed in her calculated way.

"You know Genis, Regal...I could use some help doing...uh...uh... oh forget it. Just run!" Zelos tried to come up with an alibi and gave up, instead choosing to blatantly clear the room. Of course, none of them were really leaving Zelos' house. The seven of them all crouched by the window, safely out of sight in Zelos' garden.

-

As Kratos looked like he was going to keel over from embarrassment, Yuan decided to take a stab at explaining.

"Perhaps this wasn't the best way for you to fid out about...us."

"Not the best way? NOT the BEST WAY! No, no...I totally expected me dad to kiss a GUY that he's been TRYING TO KILL! OF COURSE THIS WASN'T THE BEST WAY!"

"Lloyd!" Kratos had worked himself out of his embarrassed stupor and was back to normal, albeit a little flushed, "I admit I was a bit forward, but you are overreacting! Gah! Look at me! I'm arguing with my son about my boyfriend! This should be the other way around," The older swordsman began to pace and mutter to himself. Yuan looked like he wanted to laugh, but refrained from doing so when he saw the father and son's faces.

Lloyd combed a hand through his hair. He took a deep breath, contemplated if he should hold it until he passed out, then let it go. There was no use in acting like he was three.

"Okay...I'm sorry...but! No...What is this?" Lloyd said after a time. The seraphim looked at each other and Yuan nodded. Kratos wrung his hands for a moment, then took Lloyd's wrist and made him sit down on a couch. He then went around the coffee table with his love and sat down.

"This isn't going to be easy to explain... Yuan and I- we've loved each other for a long time; even before I met your mother. At first we both denied it...but then he stopped pretending. I alone rejected those feelings and convinced myself to fall in love with your mother. I didn't see him for a long time- past the events with your mother and her Cruxis Crystal. But when I did... I knew I couldn't pretend any longer. I wasn't fooling him and I wasn't fooling myself. Then...Yggdrasil sent me to look after the Chosen of Sylvarant and, well... you know that story..."

Kratos looked like he was going to be sick.

Since Kratos couldn't look at anyone, Lloyd turned to Yuan and the question shone clearly in his eyes.

"He was never trying to kill me. He just didn't want me in the way. Or hurt by Yggdrasill." The twin sword- wielder gave a nod of understanding.

"Okay... I get it. But why would you have been hurt by Yggdrasill?"

Kratos looked like he really was going to die and Yuan looked away with a hard edge in his eyes.

"He-he-he...had umm... a thing for me." The indigo-clad seraphim had an unreadable expression through his mélange of emotion. Lloyd turned pink and he mouthed a soft "o."

"That's beside the point. Are you okay with this, Lloyd? With us?" Kratos looked up now, a piercing glare directed towards his son, willing him to say yes.

Lloyd put on his goofy grin and nodded.

"Anyways... If I said no I still wouldn't have been able to stop you." He walked around the table, gave his father a hug, and shook Yuan's hand.

"Thank You, Lloyd." The red-clad swordsman patted both seraphim's backs.

"Now, now. What's with those faces? I'm happy for ya'! Let's celebrate!"

Outside there was a chorus of cheers. All three grinned, unsurprised.

"I guess we're taking everyone."

-

As the group walked through Meltokio, people stopped and bowed to the heroes. A few crazed fans and would-be suitors threw gifts at them. Plenty were fawning around Zelos, there were some shy ones staring at Raine, a couple more of the same type for Genis and Presea, Regal received heartsick sighs from noble ladies, Kratos and Yuan had and even group of handsome young men and beautiful young women, Sheena and Colette were being hit on openly, and to everyone's surprise, Lloyd was being buried by gifts in a mostly male crowd with offers of marriage and splendid nighttime activity.

Once they had cleared the suitors and Lloyd hacked and burned his way through the many gifts, they got to the rheairds and prepared to fly to Altamira. While in the air, the two seraphim (on one rheaird, how sweet) stayed close to Lloyd and stared at him often, whispering to each other, looking away, and doing it again. The swordsman noticed eventually and stared back, at which Kratos chucked and Yuan pinkened.

Sometime later, they landed and walked leisurely into the city. Zelos was in front; then Kratos, Lloyd, and Yuan (respectively); then Colette, Sheena, and Presea; finally came Raine and Genis. Regal had gone ahead to the restaurant.

"So Lloyd," Yuan started, "Do you have a special woman..."

"Or man," his father assured.

"...In mind?" Lloyd was so surprised that he stopped walking for a moment which was perfect timing, of course, as Colette tripped and instead of falling, pushed Lloyd into Zelos who had turned around to ask a question.

Both boys fell with a deep thud to the ground.

_'Zelos...smells good...ah! What am I thinking!'_

_'Hmm...Lloyd is comfy and smells like leather...mmm...gahh!'_

Sheena cleared her throat. Lloyd rolled off of Tethe'alla's former Chosen and Kratos, smirking, helped his son up. Zelos got up and dusted himself off before he made eye contact with Lloyd.

It was suddenly very warm.

"Sorry Zelos..." _'But not sorry enough to not want to be on the ground with you agian- what the hell! I'm not gay!'_ The red-clad swordsman pinkened.

"S'okay! You looked stunned..." _'And adorable. Waa! Zelos Wilder! Get yourself together!' _Zelos flashed an obnoxious grin and started to walk and pick up girls again. As they resumed walking, the angelic couple tried to ask Lloyd their question once again, but he glared harshly at them.

"No. And **IF** there's someone... it's a GIRL."

* * *

Didja' like it? Hmm... sorry. Some of the characters are definitely ooc...

Fuu... -,-u

But please... Review... I'm begging you :big teary anime eyes:


	2. hot springs

Thank you, my wonderful reviewers! (Why does that sound like something Zelos would say?) Anyways, my great thanks to:

Promimo- Yes! Who doesn't love Lloyd being attacked by crazy fanboys!

Dragonwings144- Dictionary says it's spelled either way! And who says that Yuan is the woman?

Birth of Venus- Thank you! Aren't they adorable together?

PrincessKaina2- You'll find out soon enough... (after everything gets through Lloyd's thick skull...)

CherryEspresso- This chapter will have you melting before you know it!

Wish on a Star6- You lucky dog... you got a preview of this fic and all it's happenings! Don't spoil it for anyone else. (and no, I don't want cheese)

SoulTaken- Thank you very much! The next chapter is already underway!

Your reviews made DarknessGryphon so very happy! On to the fic!

**

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Chapter 2_ Hot Springs_**

It had been about a week since Kratos and Yuan had come out of the closet, and of course, where had they all stayed but Zelos' house? A little stressed out at having everyone there, the former Chosen had become even more aggressive in his womanizing.

Genis was just cooking breakfast when a resounding slap echoed throughout the house.

"Zelos! Damned Pervert! If you're going to sneak up on someone, at least be discreet about it!"

"You didn't tell me not to this time! Does that mean you secretly want some of the great Zelos?"

"ZELOS!" The redhead emitted a somewhat girlish scream accompanied by the sound of wood breaking. Next came the heavy footsteps and Sheena cursing fluidly along with the tinkle of breaking glass. It was the same thing every morning.

A half-naked and angry Yuan burst out of a room with his swallow blade and a murderous glare.

"Shut up! Some of us are still asleep!" Usually, Kratos was sent out to fix the situation by Yuan, but was out cold when a painting fell and hit him in the head. Zelos squeaked and ran faster seeing that the enraged summoner had mysteriously acquired a flail. Regal poked his head out of his room and was nearly killed by the wildly swinging, spiked ball.

"Are you all right, Regal?" Presea inquired, having managed to escape from her room unharmed. He nodded and seemed torn between staying to watch or helping Genis with breakfast.

Downstairs, the young magician hummed a little.

"5...4...3...2...1-" Somewhere upstairs a door broke down.

"Help me Lloyd!"

"Demon Seal!" A small explosion shook the mansion. By the sound of it, Zelos would be spending a lot of money on repairs.

"I have HAD IT with YOU TWO!"

Everyone froze. Raine was angry and that was never a good sign. Genis abandoned the stove and ran to stop his sister before she did any damage.

" 'Sorry' won't cut it anymore." The nightgown-clad healer strode over to Lloyd, picked him up by the collar and brandished him.

"Look at this poor boy! Everyday you have to involve Lloyd and everyone in your stupid escapades!"

Zelos, who was trying to escape to the window, sweatdropped heavily as he watched the knocked out swordsman being manhandled into a coma. The rest had crowded around the doorway, including a disgruntled but conscious Kratos.

"Raine, NO!" Genis burst through his friends with kendama in hand, ready to fight his sibling off so the others could escape.

"Huh? What? What's going on here? I was having a dream about Zelos ruining the morning again..." Raine dropped the limp twin-swordsman.

The sound of jaws dropping shook Meltokio.

"She was ASLEEP! I had to give Kratos mouth-to-mouth for this!"

"Asleep? Oh no! Wait- Why did you give him mouth-to-mouth?" All eyes turned towards the flustered seraphim.

"What? He was out cold and you know-! T-t-to revive him!" Eyebrows raised around the room.

"He was still out of it after I used the life bottle on him!" They still argue today about if there's a more entertaining spectacle than a furiously blushing, half-naked, pseudo-angel trying to come up with an excuse for administering mouth-to-mouth.

"Just quit while you're ahead." Kratos gave everyone his ultimate death glare.

"We need a vacation from this house," Lloyd said, dusting himself off nonchalantly.

"BUDDY! You're alive!" Zelos swept him up in a bone-crunching hug.

"Ah! See, this is what I'm talking about." The twin-swordsman was slowly turning purple.

"AHEM! Let's go to the hot springs." Sheena was glaring daggers, not mention the ones behind her back, at Zelos.

"You go on ahead. I have work today." Regal smiled kindly while secretly thanking Martel that he wouldn't be spending another stressful day with them.

"Good morning everyone! Did something happen while I was asleep?" Colette beamed through the door. Everybody sweatdropped.

"Does anyone else smell burning?" Raine frowned.

"My cooking!"

-

"Hey Geezer! You still got a co-ed pool?" They had just arrived and already the "red-haired headache" (as Kratos referred to him) was causing trouble.

The head priest, eye twitching at the prospect of the pink-clad philanderer being there, tried not to explode.

"No, we changed that. Two pools. Just because of you."

Zelos looked hurt, "Aw, c'mon! I'm not that bad am I?"

The entire world seemed to give him a "who are you kidding" look.

"Waa! Everyone hates me!"

"Just get into the pool, Zelos," Lloyd snorted.

"Okay!" Yuan noted this behavior, but said nothing.

Moments later, everyone was situated and in their rightful pools.

"Ahh... this is great!" Genis splashed around a little.

"Yeah! It's nice to have at least one day without Raine yelling at us."

'_Couldn'ta said it better m'self...'_ thought Zelos relaxing between the seraphim and the younger men. After a few moments of relaxing, he felt desperately out of the loop and was suddenly longing to join a conversation. He turned toward Lloyd and Genis.

"Remember when we were playing swords on your roof and Colette accidentally knocked me off the roof?"

"Yeah! She freaked out and Raine was yelling furiously that even though you two weren't family, we'd all be in trouble."

'_Okay, they're reminiscing. I can't just enter that conversation.'_ Zelos leaned the other way.

The couple was playing grab-ass by the looks of it.

"Mmm...Kratos...what if we-" Yuan whispered something into the other swordsman's ear before licking it.

"Yuan! No. My son and his friends are here and there's only one room there!"

Tethe'alla's former Chosen blushed as red as his hair before leaning away.

_'Guess there's nothing left but to visit my hunnies...hehe...'_ He tied his hair up and slowly sank so he could swim to the other side unnoticed. He was almost there when he was forcibly yanked up by the hair.

"Ow."

"Where do you think you're going?" Zelos looked at his "attacker" and his mouth opened in surprise. There was Lloyd glistening, wet, tanned, skin and damp chestnut locks with droplets of water and steam caressing the swordsman's toned muscles.

_'H-hot.'_ The redhead would have reprimanded himself if he wasn't enjoying it so much. Lloyd raised an eyebrow and that was enough to bring the Tethe'allan to his senses.

"Hehe...umm...visiting my hunnies?"

Feeling a sudden urge (and Zelos followed many of his sudden urges) to show himself off to his friend, Zelos straightened out of his friend's grip and "nervously" put a hand behind his head in such a way that his bound hair spilled out.

The twin-swordsman faltered for a moment. Glistening red hair spilled across smooth, pale skin and perfectly framed Zelos' face. Lloyd's breath caught, but he quickly recovered and dismissed it as the heat.

"Uh...Sheena asked me to look out for you."

_'Defeated again by my voluptuous hunny! _"She did?"

"If you didn't try it so much..." Lloyd showed how much he had been around Raine as he started to lecture.

_'I'd really rather be spying on Lloyd. He looks so sexy when he's wet. Bad Zelos! He's your best bud! You can't do that._ "All right! All right... I won't spy on the girls. I'm just gonna go and wait by the rheairds."

"Fine, but I gotta go with you and make sure you don't try anything."

"Waa! My best bud doesn't trust me!"

Yuan once again noted this behavior, but said nothing.

-

'_Remember, He's your friend. You shouldn't think about him that way. He **isn't** one of your hunnies!_, Zelos mentally berated himself on the way back.

_'But it's really too bad that he isn't...'_

* * *

DarknessGryphon really hopes that her readers liked this chapter! Don't forget to review! It really might make me post the next chapter faster... 


	3. Parting Ways and Plotting

DarknessGryphon is so very sorry! I really did mean to update sooner, but I went to California and before then the chapter wasn't ready. Poo! I am very very sorry.

DarknessGryphon would like to thank:

Maiyoko Iwagashi

MBOM

Soultaken

For reviewing! Anyways, back to the long-awaited chapter**

* * *

Chapter 3 _Parting Ways and Plotting_**

Two days later, at breakfast, Regal made an announcement.

"For the next few months, Presea and I will be away, rebuilding Ozette as it was when she and Alicia were children. Is that all right with everyone?" He looked excited and a little nervous.

"I don't see why not. Why does the President of the Lazareno Company need our permission?" Raine answered, smartly taking control of the situation.

"Hehe! It's probably because he doesn't want us to miss them too much!" Colette giggled.

"We will… miss you," Presea declared in a neutral tone.

"Yeah! I'll miss you too Presea!" Genis said shyly.

"…"

Genis looked away in defeat.

Everyone gathered outside to say goodbye as the two departed on their rheairds. Life went on as usual.

-

A week later, Colette announced that she would be going back to Iselia.

"Why? Are you going back to school?" Lloyd frowned.

"Not really. My grandmother wants me to come back home and learn how to be a healer for when she retires."

"Aww! It's too bad you can't stay with me my cute hunny!" Raine bopped Zelos on the head.

"Grandma says you guys can visit anytime!" Colette said happily.

Lloyd seemed a little troubled by Colette leaving and even a bit sad that three of his friends were gone. After she had left he spent more time sparring with Sheena and hanging out with Genis.

-

Four days later, at breakfast, Raine asked a curious question.

"Lloyd, do you want to come back to Iselia…with me?"

Everybody stopped eating. Genis stopped breathing.

"Whatever for, _Professor_?" Lloyd asked gingerly, accenting the fact that he thought of her only as a friend and teacher.

"Well, you never quite finished school and I thought you'd… maybe… I don't know, want to come back to school with me when I leave to teach tomorrow…" Raine said, a little embarrassed. A chorus of relieved sighs let out and a loud gasping noise came from Genis. Sheena laughed loudly.

Raine stared.

"What's so funny?"

The Mizuhoan could barely get the words out through her laughter, " It's just that, for a moment, we all thought you were confessing love to Lloyd!"

The incident was never spoken of again.

The twin-swordsman smiled sadly when Raine left and loitered aimlessly for a while until he got caught up in a play skirmish with Genis, Sheena, and Zelos during which he genuinely grinned.

-

Not long after, Sheena stood at the doors with her pack on her back.

"You goin' on vacation or something?" Zelos asked as he strolled by lazily.

"No, stupid! I'm going back to Mizuho! As Successor, I have duties to fulfill." Sheena explained as she checked the straps on her pack. By now the others had noticed and hurried over for a farewell.

"Why didn't you tell us you were going back sooner?" Genis demanded.

"I'm not a big fan of long goodbyes. It's not my style." Kratos nodded approval at the summoner.

"Visit soon, alright?" Lloyd said quietly as he hugged her.

"Of course I will!" Sheena grinned which had the twin-swordsman grinning too.

"I'm gonna hold you to that!"

-

A couple of weeks later, when they were all training in Zelos' expansive backyard, Genis approached Lloyd shyly.

"Lloyd?"

"Hm?" The red-clad boy was watching Kratos and Zelos duel.

"You wouldn't mind if I left, would you?"

"What?" The little mage had all of Lloyd's attention now.

"Well, I got into the academy at Sybak… and school starts soon." Lloyd was crestfallen, but managed to grin when Genis looked up to see his reaction.

"Of course it's okay! Like I said before, If you want to learn, go for it."

For the remainder of Genis' time at Zelos' house, Lloyd made ferocious use of the time they had. After his best friend left, however, he began to keep to himself, only really looking remotely happy when they were training.

-

Kratos took Yuan aside after training one day.

"Yuan, I'm worried about Lloyd. Look at him." Both men watched Lloyd clean his swords with unnatural intensity.

"Indeed. I think I know what's wrong. Lloyd was a hero, and he was at his forte when he was saving the world. But what does he have now? He was never much good with academics. And he doesn't have a big, bad Yggdrasill to defeat." Kratos glared at his love angrily for the blunt appraisal of his son's life.

Yuan held up his hands defensively, "Relax. I'm only telling you what I see."

Kratos dropped onto a stone bench and put his head in his hands. Yuan thought it touching that his redheaded angel cared so much for his son.

"What can we do to help Lloyd?"

The blue-haired seraphim grinned at that, " Well, you see, we'll just have to set him up with someone. After all, it distracted you, didn't it?"

Kratos chuckled, "That it did. But who in the world would we set him up with?"

"Simple. We probably don't want any of those suitors near Lloyd. So that leaves his friends. That Colette girl seems to like him and he seems to like her a bit. So why not?"

"Agreed. We'll set up a trip in two weeks."

And that was how Yuan and Kratos decided to play matchmaker which is not only weird; it's a little creepy.

* * *

Yay! Chapter done! Now, I know that it seems like Yuan would set Lloyd up with Zelos, but you'll see. Anyways, Kratos would have a heart attack if Yuan suggested that.

DarknessGryphon is disappointed in her readers! Since I have the next two chapters finished in already (at least), she thinks she will postpone the next chapter until she receives 6 more reviews! It's really not that much. So if you want to read the rest, just click on that purple-ish little button on the left.


	4. Admitting It

DarknessGryphon is so proud of you! You did it and here is your reward: the next chapter!

She especially wants to thank:

Jana-Yggdrasil

Wish on a star6

Makenzi

Maiyoko Iwagashi

The Fallen Angel Lady Doomy

PrincessKaina2

You are all so loved! Here's to the story!

**

* * *

Chapter 4 _Admitting It_**

Zelos hated seeing his friends sad. Most of all, he despised seeing Lloyd sad. This is why he frowned when he saw the brunette cleaning his swords like it was the only thing that mattered in the world. It frightened him a bit.

"Say buddy, wanna cruise around Meltokio… without my hunnies around?" Zelos grinned as he approached the other swordsman. He grinned even wider when he saw Lloyd's face brighten significantly.

"Yeah!... You promise you won't have them around?" the red-clad swordsman's expression took on a serious quality while he waited for a confirmation.

'_Woah. I didn't know he hated them that much…then again, I kinda see his point,'_ Zelos sweatdropped, "Of course I do, and look, I'll even beat off those creepy suitors of yours." Lloyd was ecstatic at the prospect and happily hugged his pink-clad fellow.

"Cool! Do you think we could walk through the near by woodlands?"

Zelos pretended to think a bit while his heart was river dancing with joy at Lloyd's reaction.

"Weeeell… It's not really Meltokio…but…OKAY!" The twin-swordsman punched his fist into the air and swiftly turned the motion into smoothly re-sheathing his swords before strapping them to his waist. Zelos, on the other hand, didn't really want to leave the city, but if it made Lloyd happy, why not?

'_Mmhm… anything for my Lloydie!'_

-

'_This city never changes, does it?'_ Zelos noted when he spied the fist bold suitor approaching. By the looks of it, with the flowers, he was there for Lloyd. The redheaded Tethe'allan casually strolled around Lloyd to "greet" the man.

"Excuse me, 'sir,' but my friend does not want to hear from the likes of you right now." Other possible suitors watched carefully to see what would happen.

The young man, who looked a bit like a blond Yuan dressed in the latest 'fashions' arched one well- manicured eyebrow insolently.

"I'd much rather hear it from him than his jealous friend, _sir_ Wilder."

Zelos recognized the man as a noble's son named Droxin Verdin… Verdeen… Burdin. By the amound of trouble it was taking to remember his family's name, it was obvious that they weren't very important anyway.

"Right. 'Jealous.' You really aren't much to be jealous of Droxin-"

"Devron."

"Whatever. Anyways, beat it or be burned. Oh. That goes for EVERYone."

Devron looked insulted, "I most certainly am not leaving!"

Zelos shrugged and cast fireball. The bouquet of flowers that Devron had been carrying burst into a chorus of merrily dancing flames. He yelped and dropped them, hastily stomping out the flames. The small noble looked at the former Chosen with a mixture of anger and horror when he had successfully extinguished the flowers.

"Wow. You just crushed the symbol of your 'love.' Be warned though. Lloyd's just not in the mood for you idiots today." Wind chimes filled with the rush of departing suitors.

"Thanks, Zelos." Lloyd was immensely relieved at not having to face a barrage of insane admirers.

"Not at all, Lloyd. After all, you are my best bud!" Zelos' heart jumped at his friend's expression of gratitude. Out of nowhere, a group of simpering ladies flounced up to them.

"Zelos! What a coincidence." A brunette with flowing curls and a rack that made one wonder how she stood up, giggled.

"Oh yes, yes! A coincidence indeed! We didn't think to find you here." Came from a high-pitched girl with raven-locks and intensely blue eyes. As if someone cued them, all of the girls giggled.

"Sorry ladies, I'm on strict man-business with my bud, Lloyd. Later!" Zelos waved them off while pulling Lloyd after him and leaving a very shocked group of girls to wonder why. A moment later, the brunette and the raven-haired girl detached from the group to shove a girl with cue cards.

-

As Zelos and Lloyd cleared the city and made the their way to the woods, the twin-swordsman looked progressively sadder. Zelos's heart began to sink as he saw his friend's expression begin to slide. It was time to work Zelos magic, supertech- SMILE!

"What's with the long face? Don't tell me the great Zelos is boring you?" Lloyd's head snapped up and he immediately plastered a smile on his face.

"No! No… it's just- nevermind."

"It's alright. You can tell me ANYTHING!" Zelos raised his eyebrows conspiratorially and grinned. The red-clad swordsman gave him a what-the-hell-are-you look before settling back in to his 'miserable' face. Zelos shrugged.

"Zelos, to tell you the truth, I don't know what to do with myself. When Colette left, it made me start to wonder. She was never anything but a Chosen and now that it's over, she shouldn't have anything to do, but she does. I forgot about it for a while, but then Raine left to go back to her job. I started to think about it again, but then you guys reminded me that my best friends were still there and it didn't matter that I had lost my purpose. Then Sheena left without warning to fulfill her duty. Not only was I reminded that I have nothing to go back to, but I lost a sparring partner. Genis was never much good at sparring, and you're always out doing stuff. My dad is kinda scary to spar against and Yuan doesn't usually spar. I wouldn't usually care, but when I'm sparring is the only time I really forget. Then Genis left, and I didn't want to bug Yuan and my dad…"

Zelos had been flattered by Lloyd claiming him as a best friend, but his heart broke when he heard of his neglect and the sadness of his friend. He gave Lloyd a real hug and tried his hardest to comfort the twin-swordsman.

"You should've said something. Kratos and Yuan wouldn't have thought you were bugging them and neither would I. In fact, I'll cut back on my outside time." He let go of Lloyd a little reluctantly. The red-clad swordsman looked greatly cheered and the redhead's heart did a ballet in his chest.

"Thanks, Zelos. I'm really glad that we talked, but you don't really need to go out less because of me."

"Don't be stupid Lloyd. You're my best bud and I don't even really like those harpies. Anyways, were really in the same boat, I've never been anything but a Chosen." Zelos could have squealed; Lloyd smiled at him for real.

None of them notice the red bats until six of them flew in. The twin-swordsman instantly had the Kusanagi Blade unsheathed and guarding. Zelos reached for his Gladius but found he didn't have a single dagger on him. Lloyd had already notice and put himself squarely in front of the bats. The pink-clad swordsman froze for a moment, seeing the scene before him like a play. Steel flashing and lithe muscles flexing, Lloyd was at his best. He looked every bit the hero that he was. Zelos's heart throbbed painfully in his chest.

'_Who are you kidding, Zelos? You love him. You fell in love with your best friend. But he doesn't love you… yet. Gahh! Just shut up for now. You'll scare him.'_ The former Chosen set his features and cast Grave. The last stubborn bat fell beneath Lloy'ds blade who turned the motion into his effortless sheathing. He turned and grinned at Zelos who grinned back.

'_He's happy…that's a good start.'_

* * *

Heh… I couldn't remember what types of creatures hung around Meltokio. Oops. But this chapter was very Zelos heavy! Don't worry though, Lloyd's part is coming up very soon. The next chapter'll be up before you know it… I just have to type it first.

Don't forget to review and you'll be rewarded! DarknessGryphon out.


	5. Interlude: For the Fans

You have all made Darkness Gryphon feel very loved :sniffle: I love you all! My greatest thanks to:

Aesira

LuiBarrowin

Maiyoko Iwagashi

PrincessKaina2

Jana-Yggdrasil

Wish on a star6

Satanic Mechanic

Hiranieas

Seraphim Rhapsody

Now, for your reward! This chapter is just for you my faithful readers! (Please don't mind the drunk seraphim)

**

* * *

Interlude_ For the Fans_ **

Lloyd was finally back from a long day at the Coliseum. He was about to head in when he heard giggling form around the side of the mansion. Curious, he went to investigate and found Zelos on a ladder propped up at the opposite wall of the mansion. He apparently found something so hilarious that he didn't even register it when the twin-swordsman took a second ladder and climbed up right next to him.

"What's so funny Zelos?" The pink-clad philanderer turned still giggling and very unfazed. He pointed to a small window where a megaphone-type device let them hear everything inside. Kratos and Yuan were in the room, both sporting glasses of wine.

"Teehee! I'm watching those two get drunk!" Lloyd and Zelos turned to stare into the room.

"Can't they see us?"

"Nope! It's one way."

Yuan had gotten up and let his hair down. He was using a tie from one of the drapes as a headband and was strutting back and forth in an imitation of someone. Kratos then got up, fashioned a flat sheet into some sort of dress and flounced after the other seraphim and batted his eyelashes. To add to the horror of this, the normally sober Kratos began to speak in a high-pitched voice.

"Oh Chosen! If I get into your pants, I'll be the millionth girl to do it and brag to petty high-society!"

Yuan chose to speak with an excess of bravado, "Ah! Of course nameless chick! I love being a manho! Ha ha!" Both seraphim collapsed in helpless laughter.

Zelos turned away from the window to Lloyd, who was ready to fall off of his ladder with laughter.

"Okay Bud, That's not funny."

The twin-swordsman didn't even try to stop laughing, "But it is!"

Zelos opened his mouth to say something, but stopped and turned back towards the window instead. It wasn't much better there either. The seraphim were laughing their asses off, using each other to support themselves. Kratos must have been significantly more drunk than Yuan as he was still laughing when the other began to ravage and nuzzle his neck.

Suddenly, the swordsman flipped Yuan over and put him in a loose choke-hold, looking sober as a funeral. Yuan looked startled for only a fraction of a second before Kratos eliminated it by similarly ravaging and nuzzling him. Yuan smirked, "Horny Bastard!"

Lloyd had recovered from his mirth and was now staring aghast in horror. He turned to his pink-clad friend, who was watching the scene with sparkling eyes.

"Zelos, why ARE you watching this?"

Zelos turned to him in a fit of giggles, "Because, they do this every week or so and I make good money selling tickets to fangirls… or boys."

"What! Zelos, that's kind of…wrong."

"What's kind of wrong?" The two hadn't even noticed Sheena climbing yet another ladder on the other side of Zelos.

Lloyd leaned around the redhead, "He's been selling tickets to fangirls to watch this." He jerked his head towards the window.

The summoner pursed her lips and peered through the window for a couple of minutes before turning Zelos' head so she could talk to him.

"Zelos, isn't that usually my room?"

A nervous grin appeared on the former Chosen's face, "Um…well…you see, Sheena, the window was totally there before I met you! Umm…crap."

Sheena started to grind her teeth viciously.

"Whatcha' gonna do to me, Sheena…hunny?"

"**Me**? I'm not going to do anything." She grabbed Lloyd by the collar and disappeared in the strange way only Mizuhoans can. Zelos frowned. He knew he hadn't gotten away with anything, but decided not to worry and promptly turned back to watch the seraphim.

There was a knock on their door.

"Go away," Kratos commanded.

"Kratos, Yuan! It's Sheena. I have to tell you something urgent in concern for your safety and privacy straight from the source. Please." Zelos froze.

"Go away for now, then." Kratos growled.

"Please, Dad." The red-haired seraphim sighed heavily before getting up and putting his pants on. Yuan copied him looking annoyed, but complied.

Kratos growled and nearly ripped the door open. Yuan chuckled, "Horny bastard."

Kratos glanced over his shoulder before addressing the summoner, "This better be good Sheena."

She nudged the twin-swordsman, "You say it."

Lloyd started, not expecting to be put on the spot, " Uh.. you see, Zelos has a one way window in here from the outside and he's been selling tickets to fangirls to watch you guys get drunk."

The seraphim stared deeply into his eyes to see if he was lying.

"Damm him!" Kratos and Yuan were rapidly putting on their remaining clothing.

Yuan looked up while he adjusting his cape, "Where might Zelos be now?"

Sheena shifted her weight, "Watching out back, but he's probably running if he knows what's good for him."

"Thank you." The seraphim strode out quickly.

Sheena turned towards the hidden window and waved. Zelos turned deathly pale.

"Oh no. No no no!" He jumped off of the ladder, hopped the wall and ran. The seraphim were after him instantly. The next day, a muddy and bloody Zelos was seen cementing bricks in front of the window while being pelted with rocks from two pseudoangels in lounge chairs. Fangirls, passed by in black, many of them bursting into tears as they watched the window's last moments.

* * *

Hope you guys liked the idea of drunk seraphim! The next chapter will definitely pick up the story when it's finished. Think of this scene as a Z-skit in the game… 

Psst… If you review now…you can get tickets for Zelos' other secret window… Oh no! Run away:runs away from angry seraphim:


	6. Commencing Operation HLU

DarknessGryphon would really like to thank all of her reviewers! All of your wonderful reviews have given me new faith in my writing and have encouraged me to write this story as well and fast as my abilities will allow. So at this moment, I thank everyone who has ever reviewed this fic. You have truly made the continuation of this fic possible. But now, I will put out the honors for those wonderful people who reviewed last chapter!

Thank you:

firedragongirl

Wish on a star6

Liubarrowin

Birth of Venus

Briarsong

Maiyoko Iwagashi

Aesira

Jana-Yggdrasil

PrincessKaina2

brandy mallory

I LOVE YOU ALL! Anyways. Lets get back to the story! NOTE: this part takes place a week and five days from chapter four.

**breakbreakbreakbreak**

**Chapter 5_ Commencing Operation H.L.U._**

Kratos was trying to approach his son in what he hoped was a casual manner. He hated that Yuan was making him invite Lloyd on a 'journey' and hated that he was trying to set the boy up. What soul could blame him? The entire affair was just a bit…strange.

The red-clad twin-swordsman was in the garden with Zelos, looking at old blades. Kratos appreciated that Tethe'allan's clear efforts to cheer Lloyd up. The redheaded pseudoangel didn't actually mind the former Chosen very much and actually kind of liked him. Despite his obnoxious behavior, the younger redhead was very perceptive and intelligent. Kratos respected that.

-

Lloyd looked up and spotted his father strolling towards them and waved, "Hey Dad! Where's Yuan?"

Kratos raised his hand in acknowledgement. "Yuan's doing maintenance on the rheairds," he picked up the Muramasa and inspected it, "Lloyd, Yuan and I are going to do some traveling. We thought you might like to come with us."

Lloyd smiled, "Not if it's going to interfere with your alone time."

"Of course not."

"Sure then!"

Zelos set his mouth. He looked a little sad at being left alone, but was even more depressed by Lloyd leaving him. The twin-swordsman caught Zelos' expression over Kratos' back. He frowned a bit in sympathy and called after his already departing father.

"Uh, Dad?"

The purple-clothed man turned back, smiling just from being called 'Dad.'

"Yes, Lloyd?"

"Do you think Zelos could come with? I mean, it seems wrong to leave him here alone…" Lloyd took great comfort in the sudden brightening of his friend's face. Kratos noted the change of expression and nodded.

"I don't see why not." The twin-swordsman grinned and hugged his father. Kratos patted his son's head. He didn't mind the former Chosen coming along; in fact, he thought it was better. It would give Lloyd someone to talk to and would lessen the feeling for Kratos that he was setting his son up.

Kratos pulled away, "We're leaving at dawn in two days. Be sure to prepare all of your belongings beforehand because even if you aren't ready, we're leaving."

"Woohoo! Goin' on a journey!" Lloyd yelled exuberantly. The seraphim chuckled as he left.

-

Zelos was really happy about Lloyd including him, but could not help feeling as though he were intruding.

"Um, Lloyd?" The twin-swordsman, still grinning, calmed down a fraction.

"Yeah, Zelos?"

"Are you sure it's okay for me to go with?" The swordsman chewed on his lip.

-

Lloyd frowned. He hadn't really expected Zelos to object. Thinking again, he realized that it might have been because he was so excited and changed the frown into a reassuring smile, "Of course, Zelos! This trip wouldn't be much fun without you!"

"Really?" The older man's face brightened which caused Lloyd to tackle-hug him. He quickly turned so he could put the redhead in a headlock and give him a noogie. Laughing, Zelos wriggled out of Lloyd's grip and looked the twin-swordsman a little pleadingly.

"Did you really mean that, Lloyd?"

Lloyd stopped laughing. Zelos had never spoken to him in that tone before, and it forced him to really think before he answered. In many levels of his heart, he meant it; he wouldn't want Zelos to be left behind.

"Well… yeah. I don't think I could leave you here even if you didn't want to go," Lloyd was set to this idea, "I mean, we're buds, right? Anyways, on my own I'd probably feel like I was intruding. After all, what would I do if they started sucking face?"

The twin-swordsman felt much better when Zelos became significantly happier and reassured. At the same time, he became more and more confused. Thinking about Zelos being near him gave him a… warm feeling, and he wasn't sure what it was. Soon, so many thoughts were swimming in his head that he felt like he was drowning. He almost wanted to scre-

"Lloyd! Hey, buddy! Snap out of it."

The red-clad hero jumped, "Wha? We're you saying something?

Zelos looked at him, concerned," Yeah, I was saying that we should probably clean up and pack, but you were frowning and staring off into space. You really scared me, Bud."

Lloyd smiled, "Sorry. I was just thinking…about how Da- Dirk's doing."

The swordsman shrugged and grabbed an armful of swords.

They were quickly talking and laughing again, but Lloyd couldn't help feeling that the warm emotion was an itch he couldn't scratch.

-

Two days later, all four men stood checking luggage at a little before five in the morning. Zelos and Lloyd stared, zombie-like, until the seraphim told them it was time to go.

Luckily, most of the insane admirers were still in bed. Poor Lloyd would probably end up kidnapped in his early morning stupor. The twin-swordsman and pink-clad philanderer started to walk towards the rheairds, but were quickly yanked back by the seraphim.

"Huh? Aren't we using the rheairds?" Lloyd blinked.

Yuan, not a morning person himself, turned and declared, "We're walking. Real men walk. Machines are fer yellowbellies!" before dropping his head on Kratos' shoulder.

"Why do I even try?" mumbled the purple-clad swordsman before taking Yuan's hand and leading him through the streets.

Zelos nudged Lloyd forward and said something like, "poor purple chipmunk" in a sleepy, bemused, drawl. Lloyd, now fully awake, sighed and pulled the former Chosen after him.

-

Sometime later in the afternoon, when everyone was truly awake and in higher spirits, a thought occurred to Lloyd.

"Wait, where're we headed?"

The seraphim froze and tensed suddenly. They turned gingerly, trying to come up with an answer and almost forgetting to act natural.

"Well, son…'

Everyone stared at him expectantly. Yuan grinned evilly, "Yes, Dear. Where are we going?"

Kratos shot a you're-going-to-pay-for-this-later look at him before smiling sheepishly, "I-I didn't want to sound like an old fool… but I thought it would be nice to visit Anna's grave."

"Don't be stupid old man. It's great that you want to visit her even though you're in love with someone else." Zelos dismissed in an offhand way. Everyone looked at the Tethe'allan with mild surprise.

"Wow. That was nice Zelos… even though it was phrased a little rudely," Yuan observed. The former Chosen gestured off acknowledgement while coolly scanning their surroundings. Lloyd looked at his friend a little worriedly, sensing something deeper, but left it alone.

As they started off again (Kratos and Yuan in front; Lloyd and Zelos right behind), the seraphim drew close together and allowed themselves small smiles.

"Good job, Baby. They bought it," Yuan praised in a low voice.

"We are going to talk about this… later," Kratos murmured before slowly drawing away. The blue-haired seraphim knew he was in for it, but stage one of operation Hook Lloyd Up was running smoothly.

**breakbreakbreakbreak**

Poor Lloyd! He'll have to rest his brain before thinking that much again! It's chapters like this where you realize that the title "redheaded swordsman" doesn't work when both Zelos and Kratos are around… :sigh:

Sorry about the spacing. The rulers aren't working on my computer...

Please encourage me to update faster by clicking the purple button that lets you review! You'll do it for Gryphie, won't you?


	7. Answers Around a Campfire

DarknessGryphon is very sorry! I really meant to update sooner, but video clips of Gackt kept distracting me! Seriously. I guess some of the clips were PIERROT but that doesn't really matter now does it?

Like always, DarknessGryphon would like thank her reviewers:

Maiyoko Iwagashi

Wish on a star6

Seraphim Rhapsody

IJustWannaBeMe

Jana-Yggdrasil

Birth of Venus

brandy mallory

Aesira

Liu Barrowin

PrincessKaina2

Thank you for supporting me! This chapter is kinda like a downtime chapter… sorry. Unfortunately, school starts tomorrow and I will try to update soon, but I simply don't know when I will next be able to update.

BREAKBREAKBREAKBREAKBREAK

**Chapter 6_ Answers Around the Campfire_**

No less than fifteen minutes later, Zelos was tired of walking.

"You know, it's kinda strange to be on a journey and be taking it like a stroll in the park," the redhead complained.

Lloyd punched him playfully, "Quit complaining Zelos, at least we're outside."

Kratos responded to the former Chosen's remark without turning, "We're going to camp tonight. It's good for you."

Interestingly enough, this was a valid answer. The journey from Meltokio to Iselia took only a long day of walking (or twenty minutes by rheaird).

"We could just as easily sleep outside of Dirk's house, but we're not going to get there at this pace," Zelos tried again.

"Don't be a loser, Zelos," Yuan chided.

Truly, it was a bit irrational to insist on taking the trip in two days. As always, however, the seraphim had their reasons. This way, they could gently prod the red-clad boy for input without seeming at all suspicious. Unfortunately, making the journey longer meant dealing with short attention spans.

Surely enough, a few moments later, Lloyd began to vocalize his boredom. Amusedly, Yuan watched his auburn-haired, lover begin to twitch as the twin-swordsman and Tethe'allan became increasingly obnoxious. After an hour, which Yuan was proud of Kratos for enduring, the human seraphim began to crack. It was easy to see why though, Lloyd and Zelos we're playing some stupid game (it involved a lot of shouting and throwing things in random directions), and Yuan had started to absently hum tunes that stuck in one's head like knives.

When he couldn't take it anymore, the War God spun around and swiftly produced five dark bottles. Kratos released all of the bottles at once, smirking, " There, now you won't be bored anymore."

The dark essence filled the air and coated them heavily. Almost instantly they heard the keening and wails of now frenzied creatures.

Although they couldn't see yet, they ran like Hell was whipping them (yelling "Faster you fools!") because the entire country seemed to be after them. Scores of monsters scurried, slithered, crawled, or flew towards them.

The run did get them closer to Iselia, but they had to spend so much time fighting off monsters before the dark bottles wore off, that it was pointless to travel farther.

Kratos and Yuan got the camp together while Lloyd and Zelos ended up getting firewood. Yuan was teasing his auburn-headed swordsman about the dark bottle when the younger men came back with wood.

"Kratos, I'm so bored. I'd sure like to be chased by all the creatures within a fifty-mile radius of me." Yuan frowned. Kratos looked up.

"Okay." He proceeded to chase the other seraphim around the camp before finally tackling him. Zelos cleared his throat before they… did more.

Kratos took the wood gratefully and quickly started a fire. Once the fire was burning well, all four of them looked at each other. Here was the dilemma: who was going to cook? None of them were especially great at cooking and all of them were exhausted. All of them reached a fist toward each other and…

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

"Crap!" Kratos, Yuan, and Lloyd all threw scissors. Zelos had done paper. Lloyd shoved the ingredients into the former Chosen's hands.

"Just don't poison us, 'kay Zelos?"

Although he did consider it, Zelos didn't poison them , and except for a small food fight, dinner went well.

They all sat by the fire, talking quietly and relaxing. Yuan was nestled in Kratos' lap, sleepily resting against the –auburn haired swordsman's chest. Lloyd looked into the fire, and Zelos was on his back studying the stars.

"It's strange. When we were saving the world, we usually didn't have enough peace of mind to just sit. Now that it's all over, It makes you realize how much we hurried back then," Lloyd wondered aloud as a breeze stirred the flames. Zelos looked over at him and was relieved that the twin-swordsman wasn't sadly reminiscing.

Yuan smiled a bit, "It's a good thing life isn't that hectic anymore. I would hate to not be with Kratos." He reached up for a kiss. Lloyd looked at them and smiled.

"How did you two fall in love? - or know it at least?" The seraphim smiled at each other in what seemed a loving way. In reality, Lloyd had fallen into their trap. They would bring the conversation to him and find exactly what he wanted in a partner. It'd save them time and potential embarrassment.

"Well, this blue-haired nightmare and I became inseparable at a time. When we drifted apart more and more, I thought about Yuan increasingly. I wanted to deny it and label it as missing my friend or wanting a break from my responsibilities. By then, Yuan had figured himself out and kept wearing me down until I could deny it no longer."

Yuan poked Kratos for referring to him as a nightmare, "Well I figured it out because of Martel. She kept teasing me when I would talk about Kratos. Goddess! She was surprised when I proposed. But when, centuries later, I realized that I could not get enough of Kratos and I would stare at his ass, and hair, and eyes, and… you get the point. But this idiot didn't even realize that he checked me out too. So… I just kept trying to prove it to him until he gave in."

They kissed again. Zelos had propped himself on his side with his chin in his palm. He smiled a little sadly and looked from the couple to Lloyd a few times. Yuan caught him staring but said nothing.

Without any prompting, Lloyd began to answer, "That sounds wonderful. I don't really think love is for me, though. I think I'd be too clumsy for romance and altogether too clueless."

The other three men mentally yelled, "CRAP!" but remained outwardly composed.

Strangely enough, the stone-faced Kratos saved the day, "Well Lloyd, I used to feel the same bet I fell in love."

"Yeah… maybe…" Lloyd was distant. Zelos frowned slightly at the couple as though he was trying to figure out what game they were playing, then stood up and started shepherding Lloyd into their tent.

"We're all tired and it's late. I think it's time to head for bed."

And with that brilliant save from Zelos, which made the seraphim like him a bit more, they all went to bed.

-

Lloyd had fallen asleep fairly quickly, but Zelos had no such luck. He was almost sure he'd go insane if he didn't fall asleep soon. He couldn't help running it over and over again in his mind that he was stuck in a small enclosed space with his best friend whom he was also madly in love with. The former Chosen couldn't stop staring at the brunette next to him.

He sat up and brushed a lock of hair from the sleeping boy's face.

"You were right about one thing, you are too clueless," Zelos whispered. Sighing, he leaned down and gave Lloyd a thistle-down kiss on the forehead. With one last fond glance, he layed back down and rolled over to face the side of the tent.

He had already fallen asleep before a certain seraphim-shaped shadow detached itself from the shadows.

BREAKBREAKBREAKBREAKBREAKBREAK

This chapter kinda sucked… I couldn't figure out how the seraphim were going to probe Lloyd for answers but I think that I managed to save it at the end.

Who was that seraphim shaped-shadow? I will try to update as fast as possible, but I will make no guarantees. I'm actually very sorry again. I was distracted by Pierrot and Miyavi while I was typing. I'm sorry.


	8. Starlit Sympathy

Lookie! I have time to write a wonderful chapter for my wonderful readers! Now the one thing that I will apologize for in this chapter is that you won't find out who that seraphim shaped shadow is… In fact, I am doing much in my power to make you wonder even more.

Now, to thank my reviewers!

StickmanRVR

Briarsong

Raging Inferno

Aesira

brandy mallory

Wish on a star6

PrincessKaina2

Liu Barrowin

You're all wonderful and I love you all. Anyways… ONWARD!

BREAKBREAKBREAKBREAKBREAK

**Chapter 7_ Starlit Sympathy_**

Zelos woke to the smell of omelets cooking. He looked over his shoulder to see that Lloyd had already gotten up, but hadn't cleaned up after himself. Still half-asleep, he poked his head out of to find Kratos looking after breakfast and Yuan packing their bags, but no Lloyd in sight. Perplexed, the redhead climbed out of searching for the red-clad swordsman. He started to chew on his lip in confusion; the seraphim didn't look worried slightest way.

Figuring that the other boy had just gone for a whiz, the former Chosen turned around and climbed back into the tent to get himself in order. He had only gotten his head and right side through before something large sprung out at him.

"Aieeeee!" Zelos screamed, falling backwards and dangerously close to the fire. Lloyd stepped out of the tent holding his sides and laughing.

"You know, Zelos, you kinda scream like a girl," he pointed out before extending his hand to the stunned redhead. Blushing furiously, Zelos slapped Lloyd's arm away and jumped up huffily.

"I do not," he pouted. After a moment he stuck his tongue out at the twin- swordsman. Kratos who had a headache, glared at them.

"What are you two? Three!" Both boys sweatdropped.

-

Breakfast went without a hitch. Soon they were packed and as soon as Yuan had successfully confiscated the dark bottles from Kratos, they were off.

Nearing afternoon, Zelos and Lloyd had gotten rowdy again, and Yuan was humming. All three of them were giving the auburn-haired swordsman a wide berth.

As the morning progressed, Kratos had gotten redder and redder. By noon, he was twitching and grinding his teeth. Everyone was worried that he literally explode.

By some sort of miracle, this state lasted until they got to Iselia forest. The moment they entered the wood, Kratos unsheathed his sword and began slashing wildly. Yuan backed up and they fell into a line…ish.

Kratos cleared the way for them while Yuan and Zelos pushed Lloyd in front of them while hiding behind him.

This mood lasted until they reached the stream in front of Dirk's house.

Suddenly, the auburn-haired seraphim sheathed his sword and sat down, cross-legged.

"Is- is he meditating?" Zelos whispered incredulously. Yuan edged around slowly.

"I think he is," he whispered.

"Should we leave him here?" Lloyd asked without bothering to lower his voice.

"Yes," Kratos stated firmly. The other three jumped and swiftly walked away.

-

A few hours later, when the purple-clad swordsman had effectively cooled down, He and Yuan stood side by side in front of Anna's grave. Kratos was dutifully reporting to his deceased wife with fingers laced in the blue-haired seraphim's.

Zelos was watching wistfully from the bacony. He was surprised when a hand appeared in front of him holding a handkerchief. Curiously, he followed the arm up to it's owner's face.

Lloyd had come up and was watching the seraphim as well. Zelos looked at him questioningly. Frowning, Lloyd turned to the former Chosen and wiped his tears for him. Zelos touched his own face. He hadn't even realized that he'd been crying. He turned from his friend and sighed.

"Really, Zelos… Now, what's up?"

"Nothing much."

Lloyd pursed his lips and smiled a bit, "Zelos, that's not fair. I pour my heart out and you give me nothing."

The pink-clad swordsman chuckled a bit, "I'm sorry Lloyd. Will you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?"

"Hmmmm… of course! Really though, what's wrong?" Lloyd took on a serious tone. Zelos, sho though he could get away without saying another word, sighed.

"I guess it's about watching Kratos visit your mother reminds me of my own parents. Really, it makes me think of what I always wished they were like. My father and mother hated each other, but he still could've done her the courtesy of visiting her grave after his mistress murdered her. Hell, he could've gone to her funeral." Reflexively, he sniffed. Instantly, Lloyd was hugging him.

Somehow, although the former chosen was taller, he was nestled against the twin-swordsman's chest.

"I'm sorry, Zelos."

The redhead pushed Lloyd back reluctantly, " What do you mean' I'm sorry?' As far as I know, you didn't do a thing."

The brunette chuckled, "I guess you're right. Hmm… How about this: I'll be you're family!"

Zelos would've exploded from happiness. He pushed back the urge to dance and smiled warmly, "Really?"

"Of course. We're best buds, aren't we?"

A short distance away, someone smiled.

-

Lloyd lay on his bed staring at the neatly sawn planks directly above him. Everyone had already gone to bed; they had a long day ahead of them.

His thoughts moved sluggishly at a half-asleep tempo.

Zelos smiling warmly… now there was a comforting thought. Only half aware of his train of thought, he drifted beyond the border of slumber welcomed by this joyful vision.

'_That's right, Zelos. I'll be your family…'_

-

Zelos was on his back, fingering the simple cotton handkerchief Lloyd had pressed upon him. He reflected that he must look stupid lying on his sleeping bag on the floor in the middle of the kitchen/ ground floor. He would've slept in Dirk's old room, but no one knew where the damned thing was.

Glancing to either side of him to make sure that no one was watching, he held the folded square up to his face and took a deep whiff.

He could've drowned in the underlying scent of Lloyd. Beyond the scent of soap and the hint of leather was a rich medley of cinnamon and cream which didn't surprise him in the least.

After all, the twin-swordsman had cinnamon brown eyes… smelled great… was… del…i…ci…ous.

Zelos drifted off to sleep dreaming lovely Lloyd dreams.

BREAKBREAKBREAKBREAKBREAKBREAKBREAK

Okay, just to make sure no one is confused… Dirk has gone back to the other dwarves… Unfortunately, to avoid some rather awkward situations, Dirk has no place in this fic…. Directly.

You'll all find out about that seraphim shaped shadow in a couple of chappies. Really, you will.

Now, Please review. I must admit, I become rather reluctant to post new chapters if I don't have plenty of reviews. If this sounds slightly like a threat, it kind of is. I will hold my chapters hostage unless I get reviews…


	9. Discoveries in Iselia

DarknessGryphon here with deepest apologies!!!!! I'm so sorry that I haven't updated, I truly am. But between school and homework and the impending holidays, I haven't really had much time to write. As a treat, this chappie is SUPER LONG. Okay, not that long, but pretty long for something that I've written. As an extra treat, I'm going to upload my secret gift for you all. It's another ToS ficcie!!!! It's a one shot, A KratosxYuan that I've been hiding since about chapter three. I intended it as a surprise for chapter 10, but since I haven't updated in forever, I think that now is just as good a time to upload it. It's called "Convincing Me."

Oh, and:

BLooDY-MaD-HaTTeR

Author sama277

Lanku

Kaoru Koganei

auntyuno

Nariko.Hoshi

Maiyoko Iwagashi

firedragongirl

StickmanRVR

Jana-Yggdrasil

tears of a mermaid

Aesira

emcey squared

SoulTaken

Raging Inferno

Liu Barrowin

brandy mallory

PrincessKaina2

Thank you so much!!!!! I love you for reviewing and thank you eternally. I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations.

**

* * *

Chapter 8 _Discoveries in Iselia_**

Two hours before dawn, the seraphim were already up and plotting. Kratos knew that it would be a very long day. Yuan secretly wished that Mizuho were closer than Iselia. Both wished that anyone else were first. _Anyone_ but Colette: the clueless wonder.

The seraphim knew that the blond former Chosen was fond of Lloyd, but they simoply couldn't tell her that they were trying to set them up. The clumsy girl would probably blurt it out to Lloyd and the whole world. They weren't saying that she didn't have her moments; they gave her that, but she was probably was never going to catch on to their plan.

Honestly, Kratos wished that Lloyd didn't have such dumb friends.

-

By the time they had gotten Lloyd and Zelos up, eaten, packed and paid respects to Anna, it was already one in the afternoon.

After a troublesome trek through Iselia forest, without a berserk Kratos, they reached Iselia. The village folk smiled at them and greeted them warmly; Lloyd was their friend from long ago, as for everyone else, Colette and Raine talked about them so often , they might as well have known them all of their lives.

Colette and Phaidra walked out of one of the houses bordering the town square. Colette, no longer in her Chosen's robes, was wearing a simple cotton dress printed with flowers and tied with a green sash. She wore her hair up in a ponytail, which, since she no longer had a torque on, made her look much more mature. The moment she spotted the four travelers, she ran to them, positively beaming.

"Lloyd! Zelos! Kratos! Yuan! You came to visit! Raine'll be so happy to see you. She's working right now, but if she weren't, she'd be here too! Teehee!" Colette giggled excitedly. No matter how Colette changed, she'd still pull "brilliant" lines like that. Lloyd and Zelos gave her a warm hug.

Colette led them through the village, talking nonstop about... whatever. At the very least, it wouldn't be hard to leave Lloyd and the Chakram-wielder alone.

"Lloyd, we're going to check out Martel Temple, we'll see you at dinner. Oh, and Zelos is coming with us." Yuan claimed tactlessly. Lloyd and Colette faced them.

"Oh! We'll go with you," Colette chimed.

"Nah, my Cute hunny. It'll be boring. Besides, this is Lloyd's home; I bet there's loads you mean to show him," Zelos waved her off.

"Uh, Okay!" Colette grabbed Lloyd's wrist and began to drag him towards the town square. the twin-swordsman stumbled after. looking back questioningly.

Once they turned a corner and out of sight the seraphim turned to Zelos.

"Zelos-" But the pink-clad swordsman was walking away.

He waved them off dispiritedly.

"I'm going to scout for some hunnies. Do whatever you want." His voice was flat.

Kratos stared after the philanderer, frowning and looking as though he wanted to say something. Yuan placed his hand on the other man's shoulder and looked after the redhead with and odd glimmer in his eyes. it was hard to say whether it was satisfaction that Zelos kew about operation H.L.U., disappointment about the same, or something else entirely.

"Well, you heard the boy, Kratos. Let's go."

-

Lloyd wanted to protest as Colette dragged him down the streets of Iselia. He didn't like the way that Yuan had announced that they were leaving him with the blond. Furthermore, he was curious about Zelos' answer. When had this trip to Martel Temple been arranged? Maybe the seraphim had decided and not told Zelos until a few moments ago. But, then why was the red head so aquiescent? The whole affair was a bit suspicious.

"Lloyd, are you alright?" Colette had stopped them in front of the general store. She had been commenting on the additions made since the trouble with the Desians.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm great." Lloyd had been so focused on the desertion he had just faced, that he'd conveniently forgotten to listen.

"Are you sure? You don't need anything, do you?"

_'Zelos,'_ his mind chanted at him, but he brushed it off as a fact of being used to the redhead being with him all day. Not wanting to worry one of his oldest friends, he put aside his suspicions of conspiracy and smiled, "No, it's just strange to be back."

There was a hint of worry in the blond girl's eyes, but she took his word for it and pulled him off to another sight. Lloyd shifted his thoughts to Iselia and Colette. He looked at her, commended her change of dress and more sophisticated demeanor, then noticed something:

They were running, _running_, through the dirt and cobbled streets, but Colette hadn't tripped, or even stumbled once.

This baffled him. Clumsiness wasn't necessarily a good trait, but it was one of the things that made Colette, well, Colette. the more he thought about it, he realized that, Colette was still his friend from so long ago, but she had undergone such a change since she left Zelos' mansion.

Some part of he twin-swordsman was sad that the former Chosen of Sylvarant had changed so much. But there was a smaller part of Lloyd that was irrationally angry. It had only been eight weeks and Colette had grown up considerably. What had happened to him?

Once again, his mind whispered, _'Zelos,'_ to him, but it was lost in a sudden tide of aggression and frustration. He had to prove to himself that Colette was just Colette.

They had stopped in front of the old school house at this moment, but class was far from dismissed. A bench had been installed near a trellis laced with ivy. The empty, but tranquil mood began to leech the sudden anger from Lloyd and he was able to calm himself. Colette guided the twin-swordsman to the bench and sat them both down. They were quiet for a moment, soaking in the warm vibe that gathered.

But Lloyd still had the burning urge to prove that Colette hadn't changed _that_ much. He cleared his throat, "Hey Colette?"

"Yes Lloyd?" the former Chosen of Sylvarant seemed to glow in reflected sunlight.

"Tag." Lloyd tapped her head and ran, taking refuge behind a signpost. The blond quickly took up the game and ran after the twin-swordsman, knowing very well that she couldn't out run him. She began to use paraball to try to trip him up. He evaded and they ran around in circles until, finally, Colette tripped and fell forward. Lloyd stopped running, only to start laughing. Colette rolled over onto her back and laughed too.

It was a perfect moment.

Any bit of anger or jealousy the occupied Lloyd's mind dissipated and he fell, still laughing. Colette hadn't really changed from Colette at all. All she had done was act a little more mature, but growing up really hadn't changed her.

He looked at his friend with his eyes sparkling in mirth and found her looking back with a strange, almost sobering, look in her eyes.

It confused him; made him uneasy.

"Lloyd! Colette! You cam here and you didn't even bother to say hi? I'm a little bit insulted." Raine stood in the doorway of the schoolhouse, arms crossed with a gaggle of young children crowded around her.

"Oh! I'm so sorry Raine. I didn't want to disturb your class." Colette jumped up and smoothed her skirt.

Lloyd approached the half-elf with a cheesy grin, "Are you doing mother duck duty, Professor Sage?" The group of children pressed in closer to the healer. He frowned.

"Am I scaring them?" Lloyd did, after all, still have his swords strapped to his waist.

"They're just shy," the silver-haired staff wielder laughed.

One little girl in the back of the group called out boldly, " Are you really the hero, Lloyd Irving?"

"Umm.. It's actually Lloyd Irving Aurion, but, yeah." Colette backed his claim up by standing behind him and nodding.

Another kid, a boy this time, emerged from the classroom. He had been one of Lloyd and Colette's classmates; one of the few that hadn't gone to finish school elsewhere.

"Oh. Hey Lloyd1 I'd talk more, but I gotta get home. Bye!"

As if this was the confirmation that they had been waiting for, all of the children swarmed around the world's hero excitedly leaving a smiling Raine and a giggling Colette.

Lloyd was grateful for this distraction. He didn't want to think about the look that Colette had given him.

-

Of all places to go, the seraphim really had ended up going to Martel Temple. It was empty now, even though a sign outside boasted a soon-coming tribute to the heroes of the world.

The seraphim barely said a word to one another as they strolled through the bold reminders of their pasts. They stopped in front of a fresco depicting the four seraphim. In the center of the rendering were Martel and Mithos, wings spread, flying high over the earth. Martel's arms were spread wide, in a gesture of uplifting, bringing healing upon the land. On her left was Mithos, arms spread as well, but he looked as though he was casting a destructive spell such as meteor. Kratos was to the left of Mithos, sword unsheathed and fury in his eyes. Yuan stood by Martel, hands neatly on her shoulders, supporting and loving.

The blue-haired seraphim looked upon the scene with a great depth of contemplation. Kratos squeezed his hand, "Do you need to make your explanations?"

Yuan turned towards the auburn-haired swordsman with the slightest of smiles, "No. I don't think I need to. Martel was always rooting for us to get together, even after she accepted my proposal. For her, the obvious occurred between us," he sighed, "But, looking at this representation of our mistakes, I can't help but think if we're doing the right thing for Lloyd."

"This was your idea."

"I know." he turned away from his partner, "I still think that Lloyd will be happier with someone, but I don't know if we're handling the situation correctly."

"What other way is there?" Kratos sounded a little angry. Yuan bit his lip, but he understood Kratos' frustration. The auburn-haired swordsman just wanted his son to have the best, especially since he couldn't make up for all of the years he couldn't be there for Lloyd. Kratos let out a breath and put his arms around Yuan's waist from behind.

"I'm sorry. I'm sure that your plan will work. I have every confidence in you." the blue-haired seraphim turned in Kratos' grip to face his lover. He planted a soft kiss on the purple-clad swordsman's lips and they both looked back at the fresco. Yuan's head was comfortably resting on Kratos' shoulder and Kratos' on his head.

They stayed like that for a long time.

-

For a while, Zelos walked through the streets dejectedly, barely acknowledging the women who made passes at him. A chesty girl with what was supposed to be a devilish grin stepped in front of him with all the intelligence of a cinder block. The redheaded former Chosen looked up in a daze.

"Hi there, Mr. Wilder. It is _Mr. Wilder_ isn't it? Hn... My name's Mera." She fluttered her eyelashes and tried to look coy.

"Good for you." Zelos rolled his eyes. He was tired of this, so tired of these substance-less girls. He easily slipped away from the chatting girl in front of him and took side streets until he was at the town's limits.

He broke into an abandoned warehouse and nestled himself between some empty crates. A whisper of his childhood brushed past him. His mind caught a fleeting fragment of himself hiding in a pile of stuffed animals for comfort that didn't exist for him. The redhead hugged his knees to his chest tightly.

_'What'd you do Zelos? Now you're gonna lose him.'_

"How can I lose something I've never lost?"

_'Whadda ya mean? You lived with him, didn't ya? You were with him 24-7 and now what? If he gets together with Colette, you aren't gonna get to see him anymore. At least, you won't get to see _your bud

"He's probably happier with Colette, and she obviously has Kratos and Yuan's blessing."

_'Always givin' up, aren't you?'_

"Shut up." Zelos succumbed to a deluge of tears. He remembered this feeling; the feeling of helplessness; the feeling of being crushed before he could even try to stand. It was there when the priests told the child that had been him that his friends weren't fit for him. It had come when the priests told him that he couldn't be what he dreamed of being. But this time, this time it was a thousand times worse.

_'Hmph... You know, if you give up this easily, maybe the seraphim are right and you aren't even considerable as a match for Lloyd. If you were any sort of man- or person- you wouldn't give up like a wuss.' _

Instead of furthering his depression, Zelos actually stopped crying and thought about his situation. He remembered Lloyd's perturbed expression as he was whisked away. Suddenly, there was a tiny thread of hope in Zelos' heart. Maybe the twin-swordsman didn't want Colette. The seraphim could be wrong.

Now determined, the former Chosen stood swiftly. He made a decision. He would use every fiber and facet of his being to make Lloyd fall in love with him or, well, never love again.

"No offense, my dear Colette, but I am not losing my Lloyd to the likes of you."

-

Dinner was awkward as the group sat around the table in Colette's house. Frank and Phaidra had left Iselia earlier that day to confer with healers from all around the new world in Sybak.

Raine, who had joined them that evening, and Colette took turns telling stories, but otherwise, there was an unusual air of quiet permeating the room. The sound of wooden spoons touching down at the bottom of their wodden soup bowls was surprisingly audible throughout the duration of the meal.

Raine abruptly put her spoon down with a deliberate motion and stood, hands on hips.

"What is wrong with all of you? I understand that you must be tired from your travels, but you guys, particularly you two," she turned an accusing finger towards Lloyd and Zelos, "not talking is just too strange!"

"It's just been..." Lloyd groped for the correct words to articulate his excuse.

"...a long day." Zelos finished for him.

"Yeah. That's it."

Raine blinked, a little taken aback by their downcast attitude. She was worried for her normally cheerful friends, but decided that they would come to her if they wanted to talk.

The room settled back into eerie almost-silence.

Lloyd cleared his throat moments later, "I'm gonna go get some fresh air."

He placed his bowl in the sink and walk outside, shutting the door almost angrily. Colette fretted silently for some seconds, then followed the red-clad swordsman into the night.

The following quiet was unbearably uncomfortable.

-

Lloyd was reflecting on his day throughout dinner. Colette's expression in the courtyard had bored into his mind and was now beating against his thoughts unrelentlessly. Slowly, his thoughts traveled to others; to his friends; to Zelos. The redhead's dismissive attitude baffled him. Truthfully, Lloyd felt a bit betrayed. He had become accustomed to and immensely enjoyed the attention and presence of the former Tethe'allan Chosen. Lloyd almost felt that Zelos was abandoning him, casting him off because he was tired of him.

These thoughts made Lloyd increasingly tense. Caught in the tumult of his emotions, the nearly silent dinner became too much for Lloyd to handle when Zelos finished his sentence for him.

_What the hell is this?! If he knows me so well, why did he just leave me like it was nothing?'_

The red-clad swordsman finished his meal as fast as he could and decided to go outside. Being around Colette and Zelos at the same time was driving him insane.

"I'm gonna get some fresh air," he excused himself as painlessly as possible. He was trying his best to refrain from screaming in frustration. The twin-swordsman got up, deposited his bowl in the sink and ran out, unable to stop himself from shutting the door forcefully as his annoyance seeped out.

The outside air did Lloyd some good. The chilly breeze cooled his head and cleared away the pent-up emotions he was harboring. Somewhere behind him, the door opened and closed.

A small hand touched his shoulder lightly.

"Hello, Colette." Her expression was worried. As she opened her to express this, Lloyd turned around to find _that_ look in the blonde's eyes again. He frowned and his anger came back with a vengeance. The red-clad swordsman spun away from Colette who reached towards him.

Lloyd shrugged her hand away, "Don't."

Colette persisted, "Lloyd! What's wrong?"

"You," Colette drew back, hurt, "I can't figure out this look that you keep giving me! It's driving me nuts!"

The former Chosen of Sylvarant drew closer again, "Lloyd... that look... it's because... I l-love you."

Spinning around, Lloyd's eyes widened and he stepped back a bit, "W-what?!"

Colette's eyes were brimming with emotion, "Lloyd, I love you! I've loved you since the Regeneration and ... um... liked you since before then!"

The red-clad swordsman gaped at her and with pleading eyes she took hold of one of his gloved hands.

"Colette... I-," he almost faltered in the face of her hope and love, "I'm sorry. I don't love you as anything more than a friend or sister."

The blond grew still and chewed her lip a little before letting out a shaky laugh. Lloyd feared that his rejection had sent her over the edge. Colette turned to face the newly risen moon and tears that she could not contain flowed from her eyes.

"Colette..."

"You know, when my Grandma asked me to come back, I wasn't going to go. Then when I thought about it, I saw how useless I must've seemed. All I ever had been was the chosen, but _you_ ended up being the hero and then the worlds became one again which left me nowhere. So I came back to Iselia with the hope that my choice would impress you. I tried my hardest to grow up even a little, and I stopped dressing like a Chosen _girl_ instead of a women. I even worked on my poise and balance. I tried, but I guess I can't make you love me."

Lloyd found himself crying with her, suddenly feeling like a terrible person and an even worse friend.

"I really am sorry, Colette." He looked up at her only to find her smiling at him.

"It's fine, Lloyd. I just hope that this doesn't change anything between us as friends. I have plenty of time to fall in love again and even if I don't, I know you care about me. Why else would you cry when _I'm_ upset?"

Lloyd laughed a little at that and an odd pang made him think of Zelos. He sorely wanted- no, stronger than that,- _needed_ to be with the redhead.

"Uh, Colette?" I'm kinda tired, I think I'm going to go inside."

"Go ahead, I'm just going to stay out here a moment longer." Colette smiled at him encouragingly.

"Um, okay... Goodnight then." Lloyd turned and walked back to the house, looking back once to Colette who waved at him cheerfully.

As he disappeared into the building, the former Chosen of Sylvarant dropped all pretense of cheer. To quietly for anyone to hear, she whispered softly to his back, "I hope... I hope he makes you happy Lloyd."

-

Zelos spent dinner trying not to stare amorously at Lloyd who was sitting next to him. He knew that all would be lost if he ended up in a glazed state over the boy. To distract himself, the former Tethe'allan Chosen found himself thinking about the potential and actual relationship between Lloyd and Colette. The two Sylvarant-born had known each other since they were for a long time, since they were children. This gave the blond a leg up and the two _had_ seemed awfully close during the Regeneration. Zelos found himself feeling increasingly agitated and a growing sense of futility gnawed at him.

His anxiousness dissolved when Raine stood up addressing their silence.

"What is wrong with you? I understand that you must be tired but you guys, particularly you two, not talking is just too strange!"

"It's just been..." Lloyd's tired, resigned tone went straight to Zelos' heart. The red-clad boy's emotion matched the redheaded swordsman's own so well that the end of the response flew out of his mouth before he could register saying it.

"... a long day."

"Yeah, that's it." Did Lloyd's voice carry a hint of annoyance, or was Zelos just imagining it?

Zelos began to think furiously about what he could have done to annoy the brunette. His speculations came from every direction- from Lloyd having missed him all day to Lloyd being annoyed at having to be with Zelos again.

His despair increased as the twin-swordsman departed in what seemed to be anger. Zelos sullenly watched Colette rush out after Lloyd and flung himself into a fit of angst.

He stood up abruptly, surprising the seraphim and Raine.

"I'm gonna go to bed."

The redhead quickly ran up the stairs, increasing speed as he went. He burst into the room he would share with Lloyd that night. Lloyd, the exact reason he decided to run out on dinner in the first place.

"Lloyd! What's wrong?"

Zelos' head snapped up. Colette's voice? Where was it coming from? The former Tethe'allan Chosen crept over to a slightly open window. The window opened out to the front of the house and from there, Zelos could see Lloyd and Colette.

Lloyd snapped at the blond and Zelos quickly found a chair and moved it over to the window. He sat there, watching intently.

Colette began to say something, but Zelos couldn't hear her until she confessed, "... it's because... I l-love you."

The former Tethe'allan Chosen felt his heart stop. Everything he could have done to prevent that moment fleww through his mind. Unbidden tears traced their way down his cheeks and with every drop that left him he felt more alone.

"Is there something you need to talk about, Zelos?"

Raine was standing in the doorway, having gone after Zelos to see why he was so upset. The half-elf scholar strode over to the redhead and yelped as he latched on to her, tears suddenly ended.

"It really hurts, Raine"

Raine said nothing for a moment, afraid of Zelos realizing that he was pouring his heart out and shutting up again, just stroking his silken, strawberry-red locks.

She let him stay where he was, but craned her neck a little to watch the world's hero and the Former Chosen of Sylvarant.

"Colette I-"

Raine watched the Brunette falter and realized that rejection was coming for the blond. She nudged Zelos slightly and pointed with her chin. The Tethe'allan turned his head to hear a little better.

"I'm sorry. I don't love you as anything more than a friend or sister."

Zelos was crying again, but this time with relief. He wasn't going to be alone again, and, although he couldn't place why, he felt that Lloyd had chosen him over Colette.

So absorbed was he, that he didn't even notice that Raine had gently pushed him off and gone to get him a handkerchief. She came back, not missing a beat of Zelos' joy and offered him the handkerchief.

Zelos took the proffered cloth and the staff-wielder patted him comfortingly.

"Better? I think Lloyd is going to come up in a moment, so if you need me, I'll be at my house." Raine squeezed his shoulder and began to leave.

"Hey, thanks." Raine paused and smiled, but didn't turn around.

"No problem." She started to walk again. Her soft footsteps seemed to echo with encouragement.

Zelos dried his tears and calmly lay down- flat on his back with arms folded behind his head- on the second bed in the room, closer to the window.

True to Raine's estimation, Lloyd came thundering up the stairs and running into the room. the red-clad boy stopped in the doorway, flushed and grinning.

"Zelos!" he shouted exuberantly.

Zelos shot up, sharing an infectious grin with Lloyd.

"Lloyd!"

They shared at each other for a moment before breaking into peals of laughter. By and by, their laughter ceased, leaving a warm glow to inundate the moonlit room.

Lloyd moved to take his swords off and get ready for bed. Zelos lay back down. Their smiles seemed unable to fade.

Lloyd sat on the unoccupied bed, facing Zelos. He cleared his throat slighty and started to chew on his lip.

"It was kinda weird spending the day without you, Zelos." He had his sight fixed on a space about a foot from his bed.

"You too, bud. I'm here now though, right?" Zelos had his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

The brunette laughed a little, "Yeah, you are."

A warm glow still filled the room.

"I guess it's time to turn in," Zelos sighed.

"Yeah..."

"'Night, Bud."

"'Night, Zelos."

And though they both fell asleep swiftly, a figure in the dark chuckled at the warm situation.

-

After Raine left to check up on Zelos, the seraphim were left in the silence.

Yuan used an overly deliberate motion to put his spoon down. Kratos cleared his throat loudly.

All at once, they not-so-stealthily rushed to the door to listen in on Colette and Lloyd.

"'Lloyd, I love you!" Colette burst out.

"That's a good girl..." Kratos cheered in a low voice.

"Shh!"

They listened on, Kratos feeling more ashamed for the action as the moments ticked away. Yuan could feel his Kratos' muscles tensing as it became apparent that Lloyd's heart would did not belong to the blond ex-Chosen.

The blue-haired seraphim turned ad gathered his lover in a soothing embrace.

"Come on, Kratos. There's still time and plenty of opportunity for Lloyd. Even if we don't find it for him, love is bound to come to him." Yuan's heart broke when he felt Kratos draw a shuddering breath.

"Can't I do anything for him as his father?"

"Of course you can," Yuan's seraphim hearing picked up a sound, "Just- he's coming Kratos, we'll talk about this later."

The two seraphim rushed to their abandoned seats at the table. Seconds later, Lloyd crashed through the front door. For a silent moment, the three were engaged in a staring contest.

Suddenly, a manic grin exploded over Lloyd's features. He strode over to Kratos and Yuan broadly, and boldly gave them both hugs and kisses on the cheek.

"G'night dad 'n dad!" The red-clad boy then rushed up the stairs, nearly colliding with Raine and leaving two wide-eyed, but faintly smiling men in his wake. A wild yell from above signaled Lloyd and Zelos' meeting.

Raine nodded, taking her leave of the dazed seraphim. Before she reached the door, she stopped and caught the attentions of Yuan and Kratos, "Just so you know, I'm going to take Colette home with me. I have a feeling that she needs company that isn't male tonight."

The healer disappeared into the night, once again leaving the seraphim alone.

"You know, Kratos, even if you didn't find him a girlfriend, I'd say that Lloyd already thinks that you've done something for him," said slowly after a time.

A small smile graced the auburn-haired swordsman's features, "You might be right, Yuan."

"Shall we turn in then? We're traveling tomorrow." Yuan smiled. Kratos nodded and calmly took their bowls to the sink and began to wash them.

"I'm going to check on the boys and make up our packs, Kratos." Kratos grunted in assent and Yuan took off with a candle.

Washing the dishes by the flickering flames of a few candles put the purple-clad swordsman into a pensive state.

_'Don't worry, son. We'll find you someone.'_

* * *

Whew! That was a long chapter for me! It kind of fell apart at the end, but I will try to make the next chapter better. School has left me without much time to write and I'm going to try my hardest to update sooner. Please review and don't forget to check out my new Yutos fic: Convincing Me. 


	10. Trouble in Flanoir

DarknessGryphon here, pleading for forgiveness for taking so long to update::bows so enthusiastically that head hits the floor:: I'm very, very sorry, but due to a combination of overwhelming homework and writer's block, I haven't been able to get much done. I feel bad for taking so long but, I don't really know how I would have managed without sacrificing some writing time.

My thanks to:

Aesira

Kaoru Koganei

IJustWannaBeMe

Raging Inferno

StickmanRVR

Liu Barrowin

brandy mallory

Wish on a star6

KD Almasy

Maiyoko Iwagashi

PrincessKaina2

Verlious

Thank you very much!

Just a heads-up, but parts of this chapter are pretty silly and other parts very, very serious. I'm not even sure how I did it. Please bear with the ridiculous, non-plot parts because those were induced by bad writer's block, but I couldn't bear to get rid of them. also, this chapter is pretty long, probably because of the silly parts. On to the Fic!!!!

* * *

**Chapter 9 _Trouble in Flanoir_**

For Zelos, morning dawned a little too early. The moment of pure happiness that sparked by Lloyd the night before was still fresh in his mind and he was reluctant to leave it. He felt that he had not had enough time to relish it by the time that Yuan started to shake him awake.

"Wake up, Zelos. We have to make it to Flanoir today."

Zelos sat up, absently combing through sleep-mussed locks with clumsy fingers. Surveying his surroundings, he found Lloyd forcing a comb through his hair and Yuan doing the same. His eyes came to a rest on Kratos, who had just awoken.

His hair was absolutely perfect.

The auburn-haired swordsman was trying to slap himself awake when Zelos and the others began to stare at him with blatent envy.

"HOW DO YOU DO THAT?!" Zelos roared.

For a brief moment, Kratos adopted a deer-caught-in-the-headlights face, but quickly composed himself.

"Do what?"

The other three stared at him incredulously, mouths agape. Zelos' left eye began to twitch slightly, "How do you not have bedhead?"

Kratos frowned at him for a moment, not understanding why it mattered. He shrank back slightly as the other three leaned in closer, expecting an answer from the purple-clad seraphim who found himself against three pairs of glaring eyes. Yuan stepped forward at his lover's silence.

"Yeah, Kratos. How do you do that?" he grumbled, noticing the phenomenon for the first time.

"Yeah! Why isn't that hereditary?" Lloyd demanded. Four heads turned and stared at him in astonishment. Raine had just walked in and was torn between being proud of Lloyd and annoyed at him.

"Lloyd! You used the word 'hereditary' correctly in a sentence! How come you could never do anything like that while you were still in school?!" she yelled, taking him by the shoulders and shaking him. As the half-elf busied herself quizzing Lloyd, Kratos and his perfect hair took the opportunity to sneakily exit the room.

Yuan was in the midst of trying to pry Raine away from her former pupil while Zelos grinned at the sight.

"Raine, I know that it's exciting, but we need to pack up and leave soon," the blue-haired seraphim reminded her gently.

The sliver-haired healer immediately desisted and turned her attention to Yuan instead, "So soon? Where are you off to?"

"Flanoir," Zelos pulled a face as Yuan said this, "and then to Tethe'alla base."

Lloyd, having only been told of going to Flanoir, appeared concerned, "Tethe'alla base? Why?"

Yuan smiled, "Since they are no longer 'Renegades,' I'm having them map out the places that were moved or destroyed when the worlds merged. I'm also having them research a way to make ex-spheres without the use of human lives."

A glimmer, barely noticeable, began to shine in Raine's eyes. It was remarkable similar to the glint that appeared when she was studying a new artifact or ruin. Zelos, slightly alarmed by the professor's sudden stillness, got out of bed and placed a tentative hand on her shoulder.

"Raine? Are you okay?"

Raine spun around suddenly, knocking over a stunned Zelos, and grabbed Yuan shoulders.

"Yuan! THAT'S FASCINATING!!!"

The blue-haired seraphim was startled, to say the least, and quickly began to back away, stumbling as he went. Raine followed, soon steering the dual-sabrist down the stairs, firing questions at him and supplying her own answers almost as soon as she'd asked them.

Lloyd deemed it safe to get out of bed without attacked by Raine, and went to help Zelos up, both of them laughing.

"Sometimes I wonder how Genis manages Raine…" Zelos shook his head with mock-gravity.

"When she's like, just like the rest of us. He doesn't," Lloyd smiled.

Kratos poked his head in the doorway, looking significantly annoyed now that he had woken up all the way.

"Get dressed. We're leaving in half an hour regardless of if you are or aren't." The auburn-haired swordsman promptly stormed of to find some coffee.

Zelos stared after the grumpy seraphim, "I wonder what's got his undies in a bunch."

"He probably wants more time to spend cuddling with his 'Yunnie-bear,'" the twin-swordsman answered him in all seriousness.

The pink-clad swordsman looked at Lloyd blankly.

"My dad talks in his sleep."

"YUNNIE-BEAR?!" Zelos burst out, laughing.

Lloyd hurriedly covered the Tethe'allan's mouth, looking at him pleadingly, "Please, Zelos. Do you want my dad to come and murder us?"

Lloyd let go of Zelos, who started to pack his bag, laughter trickling down to nothing. In the absence of his laugh, silence filled the room. there wasn't a drop of akwardness, but both boys struggled to find something to say.

They broke the silence simultaneously,

"Did you sleep well?"

"How did you sleep?"

There was a pause, tinged with awkwardness. Not knowing what to do, they responded together,

"Great."

"Fine."

Another pause, awkward enough to be slightly uncomfortable.

"Well I'm just gonna-" Zelos attempted, making confused hand gestures in an effort to communicate.

"Oh, yeah. Fine, whatever," Lloyd tried to brush him off.

Now the situation was nothing but awkward, full to bursting with awkwardness, in fact. They stood, belongings packed away and forgotten. Neither of them seemed to be sure of what to do with themselves. Just when Lloyd thought he would go mad and Zelos was about to cry out in frustration, Colette appeared to save them in a moment of accidental brilliance.

The blond former Chosen of Sylvarant popped her head in the door and called to them cheerfully, "Lloyd, Zelos! Breakfast is ready!"

"Good!"

"Great!"

They both greeted the announcement of breakfast with unusual cheer that would have been suspicious to most people. The two of them quickly made for the door, reaching it at the same time. the stopped before it and an innocently oblivious Colette, and looked first to the door and then to each other.

"Go ahead, Bud."

"No, you go first Zelos."

Colette watched the two agitatedly trying to force the other out of the room for a moment before she saved them yet again. It was a good day for the blond chakram-wielder.

"Um… Lloyd? Can I talk to you privately for a moment?"

"Huh?" Both boys turned to her as if suddenly awoken from sleep.

"Yeah, sure," Lloyd blinked. With this separation, a balance seemed to have been restored between the redhead and the brunette.

"See you downstairs, Bud," Zelos waved as he stepped around Colette and disappeared behind the wall.

The chakram-wielder ambled into the room and picked up a small figure that lay on an empty dresser across the room. Lloyd watched her quietly, relived to be away from the uncomfortable one-on-one time that he had just spent with Tethe'alla's former Chosen. But instead of escaping it, a new kind of tension filled the room.

"Look, Colette. I'm really sorry…" the red-clad hero began, unsure for what or why he was apologizing to her.

"No, Lloyd. Don't be. If anyone should apologize, it's me. I kinda just assumed, y'know? After the journey of regeneration ended, it just seemed kind of fitting for the hero to fall in love with the damsel that he saved- like in fairy tales. So, I'm sorry. But, I'm not saying that I didn't really feel something for you; that it was just me thinking that I was in love because… because that's not how it is at all! Um… I went to Raine's yesterday and she helped me get through it and helped me with what I was going to say to you, and what I'm trying to say is that I know I was kinda upset yesterday after that, and that I didn't come home and all, but, well, that's what I'm sorry for. I don't want you to think that it's your fault or anything. It's not," she turned to face him, "I hope that we can be friends just like before… and… I hope you find someone that you really love Lloyd."

Colette wasn't looking at him as she said the last part almost inaudibly. Lloyd wasn't looking at her either, feeling both relieved and terrible at the same time. He somehow felt free to give his heart to another, knowing that his friends thought he liked Colette, but also knowing that that freedom had been at the cost of his friend's feelings. His heart screamed at him to at the very least comfort her if he couldn't love her and he gave in to it.

He reached her in a couple of long strides that he didn't really register that he was taking and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Thank you, Colette," he whispered, not really knowing why, but feeling that it was the right thing to say.

"You're welcome. Now, go. I need to fix some stuff before my dad and grandma get home," she half-sniffed, half-smiled, nearly pushing the twin-swordsman out of the door. Afraid of upsetting her more than she already seemed to be, Lloyd rushed down to breakfast.

He found Yuan swiftly packing provisions as Zelos shoved forkfuls of omelet down his throat, but there was no sign of Kratos. Lloyd took his seat slowly, looking around for as if double-taking in every direction would help him ascertain his father's whereabouts.

"Hey, Yuan," the twin-swordsman's eyes lingered on the front door, "Do you know where my dad is?"

"Mhmm," the dual-sabrist's turned, holding a stack of toast that wouldn't fit in with the rest of the provisions, "He's outside, checking on the rheairds with Raine. Hey, Zelos. Take smaller bites or you'll choke.'

Lloyd looked to the redhead, who had just tried to fit an entire omelet in his mouth quite unsuccessfully.

Zelos desisted and rolled his eyes at Yuan, "Yes, Momma Yuan."

The blue-haired seraphim shot the swordsman a dirty look and shoved the rejected toast that he was holding at Lloyd, "Here, eat this so it won't go to waste."

Yuan went back to packing while the two younger men exchanged looks and Zelos mouthed 'Momma Yuan' at the twin-swordsman, throwing them both into a fit of giggles.

-

Raine handed Kratos a wrench and he proceeded to tighten a bolt on one of the rheaird's wings. The tool slipped off of the small piece, earning a growl from the auburn haired swordsman. Raine paid this no extra attention, taking it for normal behavior from the moody swordsman.

The wrench slipped during the second attempt as well, causing Kratos to throw down the insolent tool. This time, Raine picked up the misplaced aggression.

"Is…is something wrong?" she queried gingerly.

The swordsman looked at her, then away, then back again, desperation and frustration evident in his eyes.

"I trust that you can keep your mouth shut." It was no inquiry; it was a warning.

"Of course."

The swordsman examined her warily, but his desperation won out, "This is a bit difficult to explain and not at all typical of me… or Yuan. In an effort to put some meaning into Lloyd's life, meaning that he feels he's lost, Yuan and I have been trying to set him up. I'm sure this sounds rather foolish, but we thought that perhaps having someone in his life could put him past the lost days of heroism and ideals. I don't know about Yuan, but I am certainly doubting the success of this plan. Lloyd himself has claimed that he isn't one to fall in love. I just- I'm not very comfortable with this situation."

Raine was surprised. She realized that Kratos must have been truly, deeply troubled for him to tell her _anything_. So, not taking the situation lightly, she quickly analyzed the situation.

"Well… the problem may be psychological…" she half-mused. Raine doubted Lloyd's problem was in his head, but, as a scholar, wasn't going to ignore a possibility.

"What do you mean?" Kratos actually seemed interested in her theory, but then again, he could have been humoring her. It was rather hard to tell when he had his 'less-than-an-expression' face on.

"Uh…" Raine wasn't sure what to say next, "Well, look at the examples of love that Lloyd has been presented with. There's you and Lloyd's mother, Yuan and Martel, Regal and Alicia… IN each pair, someone has died, and not by the most gentle of circumstances," she watched him carefully for his reaction which was unremarkably blank, "He's also heard of the loveless marriage that Zelos' parents were trapped in, and, really, the only happy relationship he's witnessed is the one you currently have with Yuan. Perhaps Lloyd is just a bit afraid."

"So what do you suggest?" Kratos wasn't looking at her and all at once Raine understood what really troubled the auburn-haired man.

"Continue being a good father for Lloyd and take every opportunity you can to show Lloyd that you are happy with Yuan and will always be so."

Raine stated the last bit with such authority that Kratos looked up at her, startled. He half-smiled and Raine blushed a bit, embarrassed. Kratos shook his head slightly, "It's almost upsetting, the amount I must rely on Yuan and Lloyd's friends for advice on raising my son. It's almost like I'm the child and everyone else gets to play the parent."

The half-elf healer felt distinctly sorry for the swordsman who had lived for four thousand years and was only now learning to be a parent. She understood how hard it was for him to watch Lloyd be unhappy; she felt the same when Genis was unhappy too, and she had parented her brother for almost all of his life.

A loud banging noise interrupted the quiet moment, and Yuan, cape flared and rather annoyed, was framed in the now open front doorway. He had his hands clapped to his ears and roared, "Kratos! Shut them up before _I_ do!"

Lloyd and Zelos' heads appeared on either side of Yuan's.

"Hey, Dad! Momma Yuan seems to be tired of us!" Lloyd yelled causing Yuan to cringe, angelic hearing damaged.

"Yeah. Personally, I'm a bit insulted." Zelos teased.

Kratos let out a mirthful sting of laughter, "Momma Yuan?"

The normally stoic seraphim's laugh coaxed a smile to appear on Yuan's features that immediately vanished as soon as he remembered that Kratos was laughing at him. But as it was, with Lloyd and Zelos laughing behind him and Kratos laughing in front, Yuan didn't really care. It actually made him feel kind of happy; it felt like he had a family.

'_No, I do have a family now,'_ Yuan mentally corrected himself.

"You see Pops, since you're the Dad, it would make Yuan the mom, right?" Zelos grinned. Kratos was enjoying himself too much to mind Zelos referring to him as 'Pops' or even nearly referring to him as 'Dad.' Raine smiled quietly in the background, touched by the sense of family the four swordsmen exuded.

"What's so funny? Even Kratos is laughing…" Colette asked in a quasi-cheerful tone, appearing in the doorframe carrying their packs. It was obvious that she wasn't as cheerful as she was pretended to be, but for her sake, everybody pretended not to notice.

Lloyd rushed to her aid in an uncommonly repentant manner, "You don't have to carry all of those!"

Zelos decided not to take note of the behavior and grinned in that distinctly Zelos-ish way, "We were just teasing Yuan, my cute hunny."

Colette seemed strangely out of place, so Raine walked over to Colette and placed her arm around the blond former Chosen's shoulders.

"Maybe you should all get going. It's well past dawn and I know that you want to get to Flanoir as soon as possible," the half-elf healer smiled.

"Yes. We'll be sure to come back here on our way to Meltokio," Yuan informed her kindly, securing the packs to the rheairds with deft hands.

"We look forward to your next visit!" Colette grinned, sadness forgotten and cheery disposition restored for the time being.

The staff-wielder and former Chosen of Sylvarant stood, waving, as the four men climbed on their rheairds and began to lift off slowly. Other inhabitants of the village of oracles had woken up and were cheerfully waving their goodbyes as well. Lloyd waved to them as vigorously as he could without falling and the other three gave dismissive nods as they waited, suspended over the sleepy town until the thrusters activated and they were speeding of to the frigid plains that were the home of Flanoir.

-

Once in the air they flew close together, a habit from earlier days when danger could be anywhere. There was relative silence and peace to the journey, but after a while Kratos began to frown.

"What is the infernal noise?" He demanded irritatedly.

"What noise? The music?" Zelos frowned as well, trying to home in on the faint melody.

Lloyd adopted the same expression, trying hard to recall something, "Yeah, I've noticed that before."

The three humans noticed after a while that Yuan, who was sitting very quietly with the faintest of blushes painting his cheeks, was ignoring them somewhat nervously.

"Yuan," Kratos began slowly, "You wouldn't happen to know anything about this music, would you?"

Zelos took on a similar tone, "We'd just like to know, 'cause if no one knows anything, we might end up having to take a rheaird apart to-"

Yuan spun around to glare at the Tethe'allan, "Don't you even dare thinking about it! If you so much as look like you're considering it, by Martel, I swear that I'll ram that gladius so far down your throat that you'll be crapping thumbtacks."

"You're acting pretty defensive, Yuan," Lloyd informed him gravely.

"No, I'm not. He threatened my poor babies," Yuan huffed and turned around. They flew in near silence for a few minutes, Yuan seeming to get increasingly twitchy.

"ALL RIGHT! I ADMIT IT! I PROGRAMMED THE RHEAIRDS TO PLAY MUSIC WHILE IN FLIGHT! JUST STOP STARING AT ME!!!"

Of course, the other three began to stare at Yuan who seemed to have completely lost it and was sobbing hysterically.

"You know, Yuan, We'd already let the subject go," Zelos smirked. Kratos shot him a withering glance, but patted Yuan's back stiffly, caught in a strange mixture of annoyance and pity. Lloyd said nothing, truly more afraid to speak than not.

Once again, they flew in near silence for a few minutes.

"Hey, Yuan…' Lloyd attempted when the half-elf's sobbing had nearly ceased, "Is battle music your doing too?"

There was a pause. Even the wind was quiet.

"Shut up!" The three other men's faces contorted in horror-struck bemusement.

"Yuan!" Kratos admonished, completely unable to summon more words to describe his exasperation. Zelos and Lloyd decided to leave the situation alone at that moment- Kratos mouthing wordlessly like a stunned boar and Yuan in a fresh round of hysterical tears- and changed the subject rather loudly.

The rest of the flight was filled with tense conversation and occasional hysterical outbursts from Yuan.

-

Around three in the afternoon, they finally made it to Flanoir. They landed on the periphery of the city, the only place that could fit a squad of four Rheairds. upon dismounting, Kratos fell face forward into the snow, mentally and emotionally exhausted.

Yuan reached down to help the auburn-haired swordsman up, but was waved off weakly.

"I'll get up in… a moment. I'm getting too old for this."

Yuan smirked teasingly, "Yeah, you're older than I am."

Kratos lifted his head slightly and shot Yuan a mock-insulted glare, "Yuan, I hardly think that a few months matters after four millennia."

Unable to think of a retort, the blue-haired swordsman stuck his tongue out at the war god. Kratos jumped to his feet and caught the Renegade leader, who thought to run too late, and pulled him close.

"You should watch that tongue, Renegade." Seconds later, the two were sucking face and Lloyd and Zelos stared at the seraphim helplessly. Zelos soon snapped free of the spell and turned away, towards the city, snappily.

"C'mon, Bud. They can freeze out here if they want to." Lloyd snapped out of the trance and hastily scrambled after the former Chosen, eager to get away and not have to see more of his Dad and Yuan than would keep him sane. However, alone with the redhead for the first time since the morning, the awkwardness came back full force. Zelos chose to try to shake it off by walking directionlessly, narrowly avoiding passerby, open doors, and buildings in general as he allowed himself to fall into a daze. Lloyd followed him, not really caring where they were going, but more worried by the almost freakishly empty space that seemed to be between him and Zelos.

Just as Lloyd opened his mouth to say something, the seraphim, miffed at having been abandoned, caught up with them, toting their luggage.

"Zelos, Lloyd. Use your heads for once, we need to find a place to stay and then we need to check on the Church of Martel here. The city of Flanoir took the truth a bit harder than the rest," Kratos snapped. The younger two were a bit taken aback, not realizing that more than half of Kratos' irritation was caused by the realization that it was _damned_ cold in Flanoir. It had been a rather rude shock the seraphim's sensations to feel cold so sharply after not caring to feel it for four thousand years.

Resignedly, the younger men followed the auburn-haired swordsman and the dual-sabrist to the inn and then, with dread on Zelos' part, made their way to the Flanoir branch of the Church of Martel.

Upon opening the door, they were confronted by a wide-eyed throng of followers.

"Lord Kratos! Lord Yuan! What are you doing here with those- that blasphemer and that selfish _failure_ of a Chosen!" the high priest of Flanoir demanded, a manic gleam in his eyes and an accusatory finger aimed at Lloyd and Zelos.

"H-hey! What'd you say?!" Lloyd stepped forward in challenge, shaking slightly with anger as he saw how the priest's empty accusations shook the former Chosen of Tethe'alla.

"Lloyd!" Yuan held his arm out to restrain the twin-swordsman.

'You people would cling to your faith in a soulless organization, a manufactured prophecy, and worshipping a long-dead half-elf whose resurrection would have meant the destruction of the world? Pathetic," Kratos mocked, glancing very slightly at Yuan, hoping he hadn't hurt his lover with his harsh description of Martel. Far from hurt, Yuan looked horrified at the people before them.

"But you have unimaginable technologies and powers! You the seraphim, are immortal!" a frantic woman shrieked.

"We? The remaining seraphim, living out a pathetic existence wrought of desperation and human lives. All we had to do was get Summon Spirits who are no longer under our control to cut off your mana and drones to heckle you to distract you to stop you from gaining the technology that Cruxis had. You call that power? Take it all away and all you have are two powerless and blind beings," Yuan spat.

"But- Wings!" a junior priest cried, clinging to every last piece of evidence he could think of.

Lloyd, a blasphemer in their misguided eyes, chose that moment to unleash his wings; a sight more magnificent than anything yet seen by the citizens of Flanoir.

The head priest's eyes widened and he and the congregation that had gathered in the church fell to their knees.

"Gods! It was a war between gods!" the priest gasped. Yuan, Kratos, and Lloyd were frozen in shock. Kratos had his mouth open slightly in a mixture of horror, revulsion, and anger, trying desperately to figure out what to say. To the stoic seraphim's surprise, Zelos pushed through where he had been standing in the back and hauled the head priest to his feet, shaking him.

"Gods? Gods?! What is with you people and making more of people than they really are? We're people! We're all just people with the same blood as you flowing through our veins!" Zelos dropped the terrified priest, seething in anger, ripped his gloves off, and swiftly cut his arm with a short length of dagger, blood splashing to the ground and splattering the stunned priest. There was silence, save for the sound of Zelos' breathing, and, picking up Zelos' cue, Kratos took his gloves off and cut his arm as well, blood splashing to the ground in a similar fashion. Lloyd followed suit without hesitation and the people saw it; the same red blood, steaming slightly in the frigid climate of Flanoir.

The people looked to Yuan who sighed, annoyed, "I'm a half-elf. I'm sure you don't want my blood on the Church floor."

Many of the people looked away embarrassedly at this.

"Thought so," Yuan muttered darkly.

"What are we to do? We are priests with no faith to preach," one of the priests turned to Kratos desperately, but it was Zelos who answered.

"Then do what you've always done: preach the teachings of Martel and try to make the world a truly better place, but this time, practice what you preach and don't make more or less of people than they really are. I guarantee that you'll find less people like me or Mithos if you do."

The redhead turned on his heel and walked out of the church, heading towards the terrace. Lloyd followed, concerned for the pink-clad swordsman. Everybody in the church was now staring at the blood, contemplating the former Chosen's words. After a moment's hesitation, Yuan and Kratos left as well, certain that Zelos had done the job.

The seraphim saw neither head nor tail of their younger companions upon exiting. Kratos seemed irritated once again, even more so when Yuan threw an apple gel in his direction.

"Stop bleeding everywhere." The blue-haired seraphim walked off, appearing angry.

"Yuan?" Kratos had never seen the dual-sabrist like this except- a strange expression swept across the swordsman's face and he stared for a moment after the departing half-elf before dropping the gel and running after him.

-

Zelos stormed out to the terrace feeling ill with frustration, disgust, and his long-time companion, self-loathing. He could hear Lloyd behind him, for once wishing that the twin-swordsman would just leave him_ the hell alone_.

"Zelos?"

The former Chosen of Tethe'alla ignored him, instead walking ever quicker to the frozen railing. He heaved himself to a stop, slumping over the frigid stone banister, ragged sobs tearing themselves from his throat. His arm was still bleeding freely, staining the pure white snow bright red. Maybe it was just the blood loss, but Zelos felt faint, seeing a memory imposed over the scene; his mother's blood appearing over the stain of his own.

-

Lloyd caught the swiftly caught the redhead as he pitched backwards. Heart beating unnaturally fast, he quickly used a lemon gel on the ailing swordsman, panic subsiding as the Tethe'allan's breathing evened out and the gasping sobs were quieting. Lloyd sighed in relief, but soon felt terrible for it. Zelos' eyes stared past him emptily.

"Zelos… Zelos! What's with you? Don't act like you don't have a soul, Zelos! Don't you dare!" Sick panic clogged his throat, making him dizzy as the constricting vice of anxiety took his heart in its possession. Lloyd was distressed to the point of tears. He was terrified that something was wrong; something that was beyond his ability to help or heal. He wasn't sure is he could accept it if that was the case- No, he _wouldn't_ accept it if that was indeed the case.

In the hero's grief, he failed to see the anger rising in his friend's eyes. Without warning, Zelos threw himself to his feet.

"Stop that! Just- Just leave me alone." Zelos unfolded his wings and took off without another word.

Lloyd didn't move, but looked after the former Chosen and decided that it would be best to wait at the inn for his friend, hoping that later Zelos would tell him what the problem was.

* * *

Whew!!! Another chappie all done and this one is pretty long, at least by my standards. I'm so sorry for the wait and the resultant crappy chapter, but I'll try to get the next one up, plot bunny and his allies permitting, by my birthday in two weeks. Sorry that this chapter seemed plot-tose intolerant until the end… 

Please remember to review! Do it for me, please? If not for me, think of the poor plot bunny and his allies that need to be encouraged by your reviews for a next chapter to appear…


	11. Secret Agendas and Unwanted Pity

Oh dear, I'm so terribly sorry. This is really about two and a half weeks late and I'm terribly sorry. It's quite hard to write with school and I've been horribly busy with projects and writing around my birthday didn't work out either. But, no more excuses because I am quite late. DarknessGryphon begs your forgiveness! I'm on spring break now so I've had time to finish on a sort of caffeine boost. Arizona Green Tea with honey and ginseng is very, very full of caffeine, which I shouldn't drink because I don't really react all that well to caffeine…

Anyways, before I go caffeine-induced ADD on you all, I humbly and graciously thank:

otakufan03

SweetCandyXx

Raging Inferno

Wish on a star6

Aesira

Mez10000

Liu Barrowin

brandy mallory

PrincessKaina2

Thank you so very much! I love you all!!! I'm both tired and energized and I don't quite remember if there's anything I should warn you about before this chapter starts… so forward, MARCH!

* * *

**Chapter 10 _Secret Agendas and Unwanted Pity_**

Zelos' orange wings beat furiously as he tried to escape from the people, or maybe the entire city of Flanoir and everything bad that seemed to happen there by out-flying it.

The people were fools.

He was marked as a traitor still.

Flanoir was where everything that could go wrong went wrong.

But most of all, Zelos didn't want Lloyd's pity.

He _didn't want_ Lloyd's pity.

Fresh tears threatened to escape from his eyes. Zelos hated being pitied. He had been pitied by anyone and everyone for his entire life.

"_That poor chosen boy, look at his parents. The kid must not get a moments' peace."_

"_Terry, go play with that boy; he looks dreadfully lonely."_

"_Here, Zelos. You'll fail the course if you don't do the homework, so here, copy this."_

Not one of those people could be bothered to actually care for him. Everything was about being on his good side; being on good terms with the Chosen so they would be saved. Not one person had shown him genuine compassion until he met his friends. Zelos had been quick to learn that those who pitied him didn't love him.

No one who pitied him cared. He didn't want Lloyd to pity him; to be one of those fakes that were kind to save their own asses.

He wanted Lloyd to care; he wanted Lloyd to love him.

These thoughts had chased him past the city's limits, energy and urgency diminishing as it began to snow. The depression he had left at the terrace wrapped around him and pulled him down more effectively than a weighted net, although in his state, either would have felled him. The redhead dropped to his knees, beyond tears, and pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes.

In the darkness behind his eyelids, Lloyd's eyes stared back at him in pity.

Unable to function above the basic need of breathing, Zelos sat back, getting wetter and wetter in the rapidly melting snow underneath him, staring catatonically.

He didn't notice the shadow approaching him.

-

Kratos was running after Yuan, who was swiftly making his way to the inn. Nobody seemed to want to get in the blue-haired seraph's way, but they closed in after him, leaving Kratos to curse and push through the wall the crowd formed. Desperate and worried, the swordsman roared and literally tossed people out of his way.

He lost sight of his lover for a few moments, but managed to catch at least the corner of half-elf's cloak as it flicked around their room's door before it slammed shut.

Finally reaching his goal, Kratos hesitated, hand on doorknob. After a moment or two, with no noise coming from within, the swordsman decided that he could wait no longer. The door yielded when he turned the knob; Yuan hadn't locked it in his haste. The war god peeked into the room cautiously, half expecting Yuan to punch him in the face the moment he got past the doorway. The dual sabreist hadn't bothered to turn any lights on and was lying on the bed, back facing Kratos who approached warily.

"Yuan?" He shook the seraph'd shoulder lightly, "What's the matter Yuan?"

Kratos could almost feel the annoyance radiating off of the half-elf who continued to ignore him. Squaring his jaw, the swordsman climbed onto the bed and sat with his legs folded under him. He radiated annoyance back at blue-haired bladist. It was a technique that only he had perfected and was certainly an effective one.

Yuan's resolve crumbled under Kratos' furious gaze. He turned over, glaring at Kratos.

"I told you to stop bleeding everywhere." This nearly broke Kratos' concentration; he'd forgotten about the wound which was starting to bleed into the bedcovers and had stained a large portion of the purple leather that Kratos so treasured. Unperturbed, the auburn-haired seraph cast first-aid, still stubbornly radiating annoyance at the dual-sabreist. Their eyes locked in a heated staring contest that would have no winner.

"What do you want?!" Yuan snarled. Something in those words wounded Kratos, but it was more likely the words that Yuan hadn't said that pained him.

"_Human."_

Kratos was plunged back into the feelings of long ago, when it had just been the four of them. He had felt like an outsider, hired help for Yuan, his fiancé Martel, and her heroic brother Mithos. No matter how Yuan had assured him otherwise, no matter the 'you-are-loved' looks that Martel shed upon him, no matter the blatant admiration that Mithos lavished upon him, Kratos was the outsider. He was the only human in the midst of a band of half-elves and already outcast for being an orphan, for having magic, for being unloved.

His face must have betrayed him because Yuan's expression faltered, and his features softened.

"I'm sorry Kratos. It's not you, you know it isn't. Please, I'm sorry." He pleaded, suddenly repentant.

Kratos was wearing _that_ expression; that closed off, leave-me-the-hell-alone look that was another of those things that only Kratos had mastered. Feeling even more terrible, Yuan knew it was his fault that Kratos pulled back into himself. He regretted forgetting for a moment that Kratos wasn't one of _those_ humans. Worried for his lover, and above all, friend, he got up and wrapped his arms around the swordsman who didn't fight him, but didn't give him the slightest acknowledgement either.

"Kratos, Kratos… I'm so sorry. You know how much I love you. I didn't mean to fault you for being human; it's one of those things I love about you. But you know how I get when I see people like those so-called faithful of the Church of Martel. They refuse to stop and think of stupid they're being, and although they know of their blindness, they do nothing about it. I was just mad. I didn't mean to project onto you…" Yuan whispered, feeling absolutely dreadful.

Kratos was the only human who'd ever suffered the constant torment and ridicule of half-elves. Yuan remembered how Kratos never lifted a finger against them, no matter what they said or did, unless it was absolutely deserved. If there was anyone with more of a reason to dislike Yuan and his kin, it would be Kratos. But in his anger for those humans who had tormented him and others like him, Yuan had forgotten that Kratos understood him better than anyone else in all of Symphonia, Welgaia, and possibly even the universe. Almost unbearably sorry, Yuan hugged his swordsman close, a errant tear picking its way down his face.

And suddenly, Kratos was holding _him_, and stroking blue locks that had somehow escaped their binding altogether.

"Don't worry about it, Yuan. I was just feeling…strangely nostalgic. Perhaps we should go to sleep now, it has been a rather exhausting day," Kratos absolved wearily, sounding every bit of his four-thousand-and-some-odd years.

Yuan smiled at his lover fondly, thrilled to have his Kratos back. He shoved the swordsman into the bed gently and removed the seraph's boots and blade. Tenderly, he tucked the slightly perplexed man in, smiling the whole time.

"Goodnight, my starling. I'm just going to take a walk to clear my head and to see if I can't possibly have my faith in man restored," he gushed, tapping a disturbed Kratos on the nose.

Suddenly very sleepy from something Yuan had secretly slipped him, Kratos waved at him drunkenly, "'Night Yuan. Don't come back too late. Don't you dare…go clubbing… or…. you'll 'ave… to blame…yer fagrmnn…"

The last word just might have been "fate."

Certain that Kratos and would remain so for quite a while, Yuan opened the window and leaped out into the night, translucent purple wings making him seem as substanceless as they. Still smiling, he closed the unconventional exit behind him and took off with urgency to the edges of the frozen metropolis.

-

The shadow shook itself, as if to settle its heavy cloak or to get rid of the quickly accumulating snow. It took a deep breath that was fraught with anxiety and worry. Raising a gloved hand, it placed it on the frozen former Chosen's shoulder in what was supposed to be a comforting gesture.

"Zelos…" The redhead came out of his stupor wearily.

"Yuan," he identified. The seraph bowed his head in acknowledgement, creating a puff of snow as he knelt down next to the pink-clad swordsman.

"Come, Zelos. Let's go back. Lloyd's probably worried sick over you."

Tired, sodden, and frozen, Zelos' wanted to go with the seraph, but his mind refused, and instead he hauled his carcass out of the snow and away from Yuan.

"Forget it. If you think I'll go back and watch you and Kratos try to set Lloyd up, you're gravely mistaken. I'm not gonna be an accessory to your stupid plot. I'll just fly back to Meltokio like I shoulda in the first place." the bitter edge in his voice was impossible to mistake. Yuan stood, putting them on level ground, but taking no steps to close the gap between them.

"You like him, don't you? Lloyd, that is…"

Unexplainably afraid, Zelos whirled around, sending snowflakes flying. The look on his face said it all for the half-elf.

"It's alright, but it seems a shame to ruin what you have by leaving," Yuan assured, voice devoid of conviction, expression unreadable.

"What do you know?!" Zelos spat, turning again and upsetting more snowflakes.

"I know that I've been watching you and Lloyd together," Zelos turned again, scandalized, "And I know that he likes you as much as you like him, even if he doesn't know it yet."

"Says you."

"Yes, says me. I've had four thousand years to practice reading people. I think I know what I'm talking about."

Zelos set his jaw and crossed his arms, "Experience does not necessarily indicate aptitude."

Yuan shifted to mimic the former Chosen's stance, "I agree with you entirely, but it's in your best interest to believe me."

The redhead narrowed his eyes, suspicious of the other's motives.

"Oh, is it now?"

Yuan averted his eyes from Zelos' glare, "Do you want to be with Lloyd? I can help you and even get you Kratos' approval."

Zelos exploded, "I don't want your pity! I don't need it! Besides, What's in it for you? A good laugh when Lloyd rejects me?"

Yuan look into Zelos' eyes steadily, explaining to him with complete sincerity, "I just want you and Lloyd to be happy. It took Kratos and I four thousand years to figure to see eye to eye and were lucky to have this time to make things right. I don't want the same thing to happen to you two. You might not get four thousand years to puzzle it out."

This time, Zelos averted his gaze, "How do you know? How do you know that he likes me?"

His voice was small and desperate, like a lost child's. Yuan smiled benevolently then, and closed the gap between them. He opened his wings for the light they produced, not even noticing the parallel that he was making as he brushed the errant strands of hair from Zelos' face.

"It's in his smile, the one he gives only to you; how his face always brightens when you touch; how he never seems to want to leave your side; how lost and sad he looks when you do. He loves you and he doesn't even know it."

Zelos trembled a little, dismissing it as the cold finally starting to get to him, "I always used to think you were a jerk and an idiot Yuan, but you're turning out to be quite the guardian angel aren't you?"

Yuan blinked in surprise before laughing, "I guess so. Just don't start think that this makes it alright for you to call me 'Momma Yuan' or anything like that or I might retract my offer."

The redhead regained his usual spark with a grin, "Wouldn't dream of it, Yunnie. Now, how about we head back?"

The swordsman clapped the shocked seraph on the shoulder and launched into the air before Yuan could recover and murder him.

"Wait a second, Zelos! HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT THAT?!"

-

Lloyd was lying on his bed, really the _only_ bed in the room, and staring at the ceiling, hoping that Zelos would come back. He was almost trying to will the redhead back to the inn with the shear amount that he was concentrating. The whole affair put so on edge that he shot bolt upright when he heard the tumblers in the door lock falling into place.

A tired and soaking Zelos stepped over the threshold, closing the door behind him. Not caring about the rather soggy state that the swordsman was in, Lloyd leapt up and pulled him into a firm embrace. Zelos put his own arms around the shorter man in response and Lloyd could feel the redhead's smile even though he couldn't see it. They broke off after a few moments; Zelos slightly warmer and drier, and Lloyd sporting a wet front and two damp spots on his back to show for it.

"Feeling better, Zelos?" Lloyd asked, knowing the answer already, but wanting to hear it from the former Chosen.

"Yeah, bud. A lot better." Zelos replied in a cheery, but fatigued tone while idly changing into something dry. He started to set up the couch in the room, regretting that he hadn't cheated the coin toss for the bed earlier that day.

"Glad to hear it, Zelos," Lloyd smiled, putting on a clean shirt of his own. Zelos could sense the unasked questions in the air probing for the details of why he had been so upset. He was intensely grateful that Lloyd wouldn't ask for more information than Zelos was ready to give him.

"I was just a little stressed earlier because of those idiots at the church. I wasn't ready for them to be so… harsh," the former Chosen offered hoping that it was enough for the red-clad hero. Thankfully, it was.

"Just remember that I'm here for you. We're family, remember?" Lloyd reminded him sheepishly. Zelos blinked, recalling the night that seemed so far away but that couldn't have been more than three days before.

"_I'll be your family…"_

Zelos smiled, "I guess I forgot, Bud. Sorry. Next time, I'll come straight to you. You can slap more sense into me than melting snow could any day."

Frowning a bit, he sat down on the couch and before he could swing his legs up, Lloyd was calling him back, "Um… Zelos?"

"Yeah, Bud?" He looked at the twin-swordsman who was fidgeting with the hem of his shirt uncharacteristically.

"Well… It's pretty cold and since I'm sure you've spent enough time in it today… d'ya… do you want to share tonight?" he gestured absently towards the bed. Lloyd's eyes were fixated on the piece of shirt still clutched in his hand as though it had the most fascinating stitches he had ever seen in his entire life.

Glad that his friend was not looking at him, Zelos paled so fast that he was sure that someone had stabbed him and ripped out his kidneys. A million thoughts, non of them completely pleasant, filled his head.

'_Goddess, has he figured you out?_

_SAY YES ZELOS._

_Oh no, what if you have one of _those_ dreams!_

_SAY YES ZELOS._

_Don't take this as an opportunity, you'll scare him._

_SAY YES ZELOS._

_Screw Yuan, Lloyd doesn't like you and this is all purely platonic._

_SAY YES ZELOS._

_Goddess, I'm going insane._

_JUST SAY YES ALREADY ZELOS._

_No!_

_YES._

_No!_

_YES!_

_NO!_

_YESSSS!_

_FINE! SHUT UP ALREADY! I CAN'T HEAR WHAT HE'S SAYING!'_

"What was that bud?" Zelos forced out, breaking his warring chains of thought.

"Huh? Oh, I was just saying that it's alright is you don't want to. I'm mean, you are already set up an-" Lloyd started to repeat miserably before he was cut off by the pink-clad swordsman.

"Actually, Bud- Lloyd- I'd love to share," he sliced in quietly. Lloyd looked up at him, thrilled and grinning.

"Really?" the twin-swordsman demanded excitedly, almost jumping with barely contained emotion.

"Yeah, I would," Zelos grinned back. The red-clad hero pulled back the covers with vigor and the two all but cannon-balled onto the bed. The pulled the covers together and turned to face each other, both of them warm and comfy, inside and out.

It was a cold night in Flanoir, but neither man had trouble falling asleep, nor did a single negative element enter the dreams they had of each other.

* * *

Whew! I'm beat. I stopped typing about halfway through last night to go to sleep, hopped up on caffeine as I was, and haven't eaten yet today, even though it's almost 5 PM.

Once again, I'm very sorry that this wasn't up around my birthday, like I promised. But even so, you'll review as a late birthday gift for me, right?

Also, I was looking at some of the earlier chapters and I realized something: I need someone to beta my stories because goodness knows I'm too lazy and impatient to do it myself. This would also mean that you would get the chapter slightly earlier than everyone else, so please, help me, at least for this story. So, if you're interested, pm me, or put it in your review, okay? I'll just pull names out of a hat…

Much love, Gryphie out._himhim_


	12. Author's Note Late in Coming: Curious?

After what, three years of not updating this story, it's fairly obviously that the update is far from happening, to put it bluntly. I hate to have left readers hanging and I greatly appreciate the encouraging reviews and those that have been fond enough of this story to favorite and/or put this story under their alerts. to my younger self, it was incredibly encouraging.

Honestly, it's not that I haven't tried to update this story. I really have, all of these years I've told myself that I would finish this just for the readers, but the longer time went on, the more I felt I couldn't follow through. Every time my pen hit paper I just drew a blank and this was for several reasons.

The foremost is that I'm a different person ins several respects which also leads to that my writing style is drastically different from what it was while writing this story. Consequently, I can't even read this story without feeling embarrassed at myself. I won't hide that I sort of hate it now, in all its amateurish glory. I would like to think that I have more finesse to my style acquired from various ventures in different writing pools and different fandoms as well as my continued penning of my own original work.

In a rather large window of time where I sadly lost access to the game, I could no longer relate as much to what I was writing for this story and my attempts to continue went further awry.

This is where I give any lingering hopefuls a choice. I have more or less dropped all stories on this account, but that won't stop me from trying if prompted and given the right inspiration. I can't promise that anything will come from future attempts, but I promise to try to produce something.

I can simply post up the incomplete remains of the last chapter in progress thus far and simply have you know that everyone ends up together happily ever after in the end or I can try to rewrite the story.

It will likely be almost entirely different aside from the fact that Zelos and Lloyd get together at the end, but will probably deal with some of the same dynamics, e.g. Zelos's feelings of abandonment and desire for affection and Lloyd's misplaced sense of normal now that the whole debacle with Mithos Yggdrasil is over. The YuanxKratos is debatable and probably won't have such a strange and somewhat creepy omniscient presence over what takes place in the relationship. Hopefully a revision would involve the humor as well as take on a more serious tone that isn't fueled by the somewhat terrible scripting of the game.

A revision would also mean the loss of the childish and exceedingly manic tone my author's notes took. Even I frighten me sometimes.

Of course, there is a third option in which some could have their cake and eat it too. I could post up that unfinished chapter, complete with the sections in which my writer's block broke the fourth wall and where I desperately tried to continue and failed and attempt a rewrite, but I'm going to leave it up to the rest of you.

Not that I think anyone is interested. I suppose this is to satisfy my insatiable curiosity as much as yours. If that curiosity does so exist.

I apologize for the fact that this author's note is so long and late in coming, but it's really only now that I've been able to work past the latent stubbornness of insisting on finishing as well as my sense of.... helpless distaste when I look past on previous chapters.

-DarknessGryphon


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